Betrayed, Cast Off, Angry
by storytell18
Summary: The Titans discover the truth about Raven, and are not happy. When they imprison Raven inside the tower, her anger begins to build and when she breaks free, God knows what will happen next. Rated M for some graphic content including rape, nudity, violence, and language.
1. Tarred and Feathered

It's a nice sunny day in Jump City. Raven suddenly finds herself walking up to the Titans favorite pizza shop where her friends are currently sitting, enjoying their favorite slice of cheese pizza. As Raven rushes up to join them, Starfire turns around to look at her. Instead of a welcoming look, Starfire fires two starbolts from her eyes at Raven.

Raven is barely able to dodge them as the other Titans rush up towards her. Raven notices that Starfire's eyes and hands are glowing green, Beast Boy is a lion ready to pounce, Cyborg has both of his sonic cannons locked on at Raven, and Robin has his bo-staff.

Raven nervously asks, "Why are you doing this? What did I ever do?"

Robin icily replies, "You tried to lie to us about who you were. We may have accepted you if you were simply a witch, but a half-demon. No can do. And now you must pay the price for your sins."

Raven runs away from the other Titans, who promptly begin charging at her without any mercy or compassion. Starfire and Cyborg both unleash hell at Raven with their blasts as Beast Boy charges at Raven, trying to maul her.

Raven attempts to hide in an alley, hoping the others would not notice her. She sees a broken mirror in the alley and she sees that she is not the teenager that met them, it is the child that was trapped inside of Trigon's realm.

However, Robin arrives and fires a taser into Raven's back. Raven falls down onto the ground in pain, weakened by Robin's weapon. Robin forcibly grabs her.

* * *

Raven's eyes begin to open as she finds herself on a large wooden platform with several plastic pools on it. She turns to see hundreds of thousands of Jump City residents, all waiting for her demise.

Robin gets up to the speaker as Cyborg and Starfire hold Raven in place, rendering her unable to move.

"Citizens of Jump. Now it is time to punish the demon for her lies. She thought she could decieve us, make us feel sympathy for her before she conquers us all."

Raven begins to cry in tears, upset at what is going on to her. Raven asks, "What are you doing?"

Robin yells to Raven, "Don't give me those tears. We know they are a bunch of crap and lies. You have no emotions or feelings. You aren't a human. You are just...an animal."

Robin turns back to the crowd of Jump City and says, "And it is time we make her the animal she is. And her name is Raven, so that is what she shall be."

Beast Boy walks up behind Raven and then rips her cloak off violently and heartlessly. He throws the cloak to the side before proceeding to tear off her leotard, leaving Raven completely naked in front of the crowd.

Beast Boy coldly replies, "You're an animal, Raven. You don't need clothing."

Raven begins to sob in pain and fear. Cyborg then says, "And since you are a bird, you need to be feathered."

Robin then turns around to Raven, now holding a pair of scissors. "You always liked your hair short. Let's just make it shorter. And now you won't need it at all."

Robin mercilessly snipped away Raven's locks away from her, slowly and brutally, in front of the city. Raven was so exposed already, and removing her hair made her even more exposed.

Robin finished with the cutting, leaving Raven's hair as a small mohawk. Raven could only continue to sob as she dreaded what was going to happen next.

Cyborg and Starfire then throw Raven into the first pool, filled with tar. Raven was filled with dread as the tar slowly coated her pale skin, making it black and sticky. It covered her chest, stomach, legs, arms, and the side of her head, only leaving her face free of the sticky killer.

Starfire grabs Raven by her nose from the pool of tar and throws her into a pool of feathers. Raven could not help as feathers stuck to her tar-covered skin, just like what was done back in the colonial days.

Soon, Beast Boy threw even more feathers into the pool, completely covering her in them, leaving not one inch of tar unstuck with feathers.

Raven was pulled from the pool, and now looked like a white raven. However, Cyborg and Starfire then began to pour black paint all over Raven, turning the feathers as black as the tar they covered. The paint didn't just cover the feathers, it also colored Raven's face, leaving Raven a completely black, feather-colored raven.

Robin then said, "Now she looks like a raven. Like the animal she truly is." All of the city laughed at the completely humiliated and pained Raven.

Then Beast Boy came up to the stage with a cage. Raven tried to flee but Robin and Starfire held Raven, leaving her unable to move. If Raven could use her powers, she would, but they were absent, leaving her unable to fight back at all. Even a snail could beat her up in her state.

Robin and Starfire pushed Raven into the cage, and Cyborg then proceeded to completely lock the cage from the outside bottom, trapping Raven inside like an animal. The cage seemed too small for Raven, but when she was crouched, legs covering her chest and seated, the cage fit her with little room to spare.

Cyborg said, "Now she looks much better. She looks truly desperate."

Beast Boy sarcastically added, "Should we give her some help?"

Starfire said, "No. Leave her. This is her natural state."

Robin then hung Raven's cage in front of City Hall, where all could laugh and mock Raven as they chose. Raven could not take any more - she was caged like an animal by her friends who betrayed her and left to suffer without anybody to help her.

Raven began screaming for help, frantically trying to escape, but nobody would help her. Nobody would listen to her. Raven was truly alone, in desperate need of help.


	2. Lied

Raven suddenly awakens in her room. She was just asleep. That didn't make the nightmare any less torturous for her - seeing her friends humiliate and hurt her in front of the entire city was a curse. Raven knew this was an omen of things to come, a bad one.

The day at the Tower was spent with specifically one purpose - finding out what the hell Slade was up to, trying to figure out what that mark on his head was. Cyborg checked every database across the globe for a similar shape. It was disappointing to him when nothing came as a result - it matched no symbol in the modern databases. Starfire browsed through her extraterrestrial archives in search of the symbol. She found a symbol that looked _close_ to what it was, but that just wasn't it.

"Pourshavuejc" was all Starfire had to say.

Beast Boy and Robin spent most of the day watching the security feed from their fight with Slade from the other night - the one where he had returned and first bore that mark. They watched it over 300 times in one day, and had no such luck figuring out what it was. Raven, on the other hand, got unlucky when one of her books had the symbol in it - the Mark of Skaath. Raven could only dread what that meant, and she knew it wasn't good. When Robin asked her if she had any luck, she lied and said she didn't find it.

Raven went to meditating, when Slade contacted her, instilling in her the prophecy of her birth - that she would destroy the world and nothing could stop it, no matter how hard she tried. In her rough meditation session, she had failed to notice one of her books - the one with the Mark of Skaath in it, had flown out of her room. Beast Boy was casually walking by the room when he saw the book fly out of her room. Beast Boy considered going into Raven's room to return it, but he felt it was better to wait.

Beast Boy chose to wait out to return the book by reading the book. About halfway through, he saw what Raven did not want him to see, and immediately rushed to Robin's room. Beast Boy knocked loudly on Robin's door. "Robin, open up!"

Robin opened his door, and he was a little groggy. "What is it Beast Boy? What could be this important?"

"I found it." Robin was immediately shocked and awoken.

Beast Boy showed the book to Robin, and the page where he saw the Mark of Skaath. "It's the Mark of Skaath. It signifies that the bearer is under the employ of Trigon the Terrible."

Robin could only mutter "Dear Lord. This is not good at all. Where did you find it?"

Beast Boy replied (slightly sheepishly), "It came out of Raven's room. She didn't notice it."

Robin then said "Raven lied to us."

Then the alarm beeped, but not the normal alarm, the Slade alarm.

* * *

The Titans rushed out to an abandoned block of the city, which Slade was currently in the process of destroying with his fire powers. Slade gleefully commented "I do love my job."

Robin then said to Slade, "Not so fast. Stop what you're doing now."

Slade added, "The Teen Titans. I can't deal with you quite yet."

Robin yelled, "You'll stop what you're doing and come in."

Slade just replied, "You can't always have what you want."

Slade then unleashed his pyrokinesis on the Titans, who all luckily avoided the blasts but Slade proved to be quite persistent, quickly taking out Starfire with a crane, trapping Beast Boy underneath slabs of stone, and attracting Cyborg to a magnet. Then, it came down to Slade versus Robin, a very intense matchup.

Robin asked, "What are you doing Slade? Why are you working for Trigon?"

Slade replied, "I take it your little bird never told you about the Mark of Skaath. If she did, she would have told you what Trigon was planning."

Robin repeatedly threw punches at Slade, who calmly avoided them before dishing out some punishment of his own, quickly knowing back Robin, who unleashed his bo-staff. Slade had no difficulty chopping it in two with a flame-charged hand. Slade threw Robin to the side, knocking him into some garbage cans.

Slade then flew away to the old library, watching as his fire claimed many of the buildings in the area - almost all of them meant for demolition. However, a black burst of energy sent Slade crashing into the ground. Raven popped up, completely hooded.

Raven said "What do you want from me Slade?"

Slade calmly said "To deliver a message. All a messenger wants is for their message to be heard. Tick tock Raven, time is running out. I can guarantee you that your friends will soon know the truth, in fact within the next hour. The question remains, will you spare their pain by telling it yourself, or will I have to tell them? They will find out."

Slade then stomped his foot, revealing massive Marks of Skaath on the columns of the old library. Slade vanished before the other Titans could see him, having been distracted by the enormous Mark of Skaath made by the fire unleashed on the buildings.

Cyborg noted that the library was from before the city was built, which made Raven hesitant about going in - knowing that they would certainly learn the truth she had desperately tried to ferry from them.

Unfortunately for her in Robin's stubbornness, the Titans went in.

* * *

The Titans continued through the library, reaching the ancient temple hidden beneath the library. When Raven, the last Titan, walked through the red marks suddenly covered her entire body, including the Mark of Skaath on her forehead. Dozens of ghostly demons soon came awake, chanting "The gem was born of evil's fire. The gem shall be his portal. He comes to claim, he comes to sire. The end of all things mortal."

Robin turned around to see Raven and the infernal markings, before she could cover them up. Robin yelled, "Raven. What are you hiding now?"

Raven attempts to fly away from Robin, but she is suddenly shocked by an electric birdarang quickly thrown at her.

"What does Trigon want with you? I know about the Mark of Skaath, it was in one of your books."

Raven replied, "I'm guessing Beast Boy found the book that flew out of my room. I sensed it was missing after my meditation."

Beast Boy said, with obvious anxiety in his mouth, "That is pretty much it."

Robin demanded, "We know you lied to us, we know that you know the truth. And we will find it out one way or another. Either you tell us, or we go further."

Raven said, "You wouldn't want to go down there. Trust me, it's only a trap. Only horror lies beyond the passageway."

Cyborg then walked up to Raven, while he examined what the ghostly demons had said. Cyborg asked, "What does this mean?"

Robin said, "It means that Trigon is coming, and the gem is how he gets here. We have to destroy that gem, one way or another. Titans, let's go. Including you, Raven."

Raven could only think one thing: _Damn_. However, she continued along with Robin and the others, hoping they wouldn't find out the truth.

* * *

The Titans reached the heart of the temple, where the Gem of Skaath should be located, without much difficulty - Raven's presence forced the ghostly demon guards to stand down as they navigated the long, dark corridors.

The Titans immediately noticed that there was a massive hand in the center of the room surrounded by Raven-like statues. Robin knew it could not be coincidence. The Titans ran up to the hand only to see Slade there.

Raven said, "Told you it was a trap."

Slade calmly added, "Titans, how nice is it for you to be here."

Robin defiantly asked, "Slade, where is the gem?"

Slade simply stated, "Here."

Robin yelled out, "It said it would be in the heart of the temple - and that would mean on the hand in the light. Well, do you see a gem in there?"

Slade said, "That is where the gem will be upon Trigon's arrival. But now, the gem has just arrived. I take it you have just finished realizing that you have had the gem this whole time."

The other Titans looked at Raven with anxiety, the red marks now glowing wildly. Slade smirked from beneath his mask.

Robin could only say, "Raven. You're the gem. You're Trigon's portal into Earth. Why didn't you tell us?"

Slade said, "Because why would anybody be friends with the person destined to destroy the world?"

Starfire asked, "Destroy the world? Raven was only supposed to"

Slade cut her off, simply stating, "The process that brings Trigon to Earth will involve its ultimate destruction. As I told Raven back on her birthday, skies will burn, flesh will turn to stone, the sun will set on your world, never to rise again."

Beast Boy was shocked when he said, "Trigon will rule our afterlife, we will turn to stone, everyone on Earth."

Robin immediately asked, "Raven. Why? Why are you Trigon's portal?"

Cyborg began thinking. Gears were grinding in his head and soon clicked together. Cyborg could not believe what he had just surmised, no matter how true it was.

Beast Boy asked, "Cy, are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"

Cyborg said, "Yes. Trigon is Raven's father."

Slade then began clapping, which the Titans could not determine to be sarcastic or genuine. "Excellent work, Cyborg. Top of your class."

Robin began looking angrily at Raven. "You didn't tell us this until now?"

Slade then added, "I told Raven you would know within an hour of my attack. And looks like it has been an hour since you saw the library. If I were you, I would make the next few days count. In exactly seven days, the end is here."

A portal of fire then emerged from right beneath Slade. Slade began to fly right through it.

"And Raven, my dear. You shouldn't fear me. Your friends on the other hand, you really should be _fearing_ them."

Slade vanished, and instantly afterwards, Raven was knocked unconscious by Robin.

"Let's get her back to the tower. We need to keep her contained at all costs. The world isn't ending."


	3. Not Chosen

Raven awoke to find herself in what appeared to be a high school gym. She looked up and down and saw that she was chained in a power-proof container. Raven knew escape was impossible, but she felt an urge to see what else was there. She turned to her right and saw in order of closeness: Starfire, Kole, Kitten, Wonder Girl, and Argent. She turned to her left and saw in order of closeness: Terra, Pantha, Bumblebee, Melvin, and Jinx.

"Okay, so our kidnapper has a taste for women" was Raven's commentary on the situation.

Then, revealing himself as the kidnapper was none other than the teenaged super-villain with an unhealthy obsession with Raven - Adonis.

Adonis then said, "Ladies, here is how the game works. One by one guys will come in, and choose to save one of you. There are eleven girls and ten guys, so one of you will be left behind with me. Won't that be great?"

"Super" was all Raven had to say.

"Now, our first guy, the spider-faced criminal, Fang."

Fang walked into the room, and instantly chose Kitten. Kitten was released from her container and the couple happily walked out of the gymnasium.

The girls were getting a little bit nervous, as they knew one of them was not going to be leaving, and one guy had already made his pick.

"Our second guy is none other than the half-man, half-robot Cyborg."

Cyborg walked in.

"Bumblebee, come with me" Cyborg replied.

Bumblebee was released from her container and walked away with Cyborg.

Bumblebee lovingly said, "Thanks sparky."

Adonis then said "Our third guy is the son of Deathstroke - Jericho."

Raven was shocked to see Jericho walking in to the room. She knew that she could potentially be saved here.

Jericho then walked up to the container holding Kole.

Kole was released from her chamber and then hugged Jericho.

"Thank you so much, Jericho" was Kole's response.

Jericho just said in sign language, 'You're welcome'.

As the couple walked out of the room, Raven began getting much more nervous, as she knew her odds of being rescued began to diminish.

Adonis then said, "Our fourth guy to choose is Terry Long."

Terry walked into the room, and he had black hair and a brown tuxedo. Terry selected Wonder Girl, and the two were able to leave the gym, leaving seven girls to await their fates.

Adonis then announced, "The fifth guy to choose, is no man, but a Wildebeest."

Wildebeest charged right into the room in fury, and slammed into the container holding Pantha.

Pantha then shook Wildebeest's hand quite hard, and the two gracefully walked out of the room.

Raven knew by now that Robin and Beast Boy had yet to choose, so she could have a chance, especially with Terra as one of the choices.

Adonis said, "Halfway through, and our sixth guy to make his call, Kid Flash."

Kid Flash literally zipped through the gym and grabbed Jinx from her container, speeding right out of the gym in the blink of an eye.

"Our next guy to choose is the pyrokinetic Hot Spot."

Hot Spot walked into the room, and simply said, "Argent."

Argent was released from her chamber and created a swing of energy that bounced her towards her love.

The two blasted out of the gym, leaving four girls and three guys to choose.

Adonis said, "Number eight on the decision list is the Boy Wonder himself, Robin."

Robin walked in and replied, "Come on Starfire. Let's get you home."

Starfire was released from her chamber and then graciously hugged Robin.

Starfire gleefully said, "Oh thank you Robin so much for freeing me from this chamber."

Robin and Starfire flew out of the gym. Raven could only notice that Robin never even looked at her. None of the guys ever did look at her.

Adonis said, "Number nine is the silent samurai Bushido."

Raven was surprised when she heard Bushido as the ninth guy to choose. She had absolutely no idea who he would pick. Bushido then sliced the container that held...Melvin.

Melvin graciously escorted her silent savior out of the room. Raven knew it was her or Terra, and that Beast Boy would be the one to pick.

Adonis said, "And last, but definitely not least, is the changeling himself, Beast Boy."

Beast Boy just walked into the room, all cheery and looked at his two options. Would he pick the half-demon that he can't make laugh or the geomancer that loved him and sold him out to Slade?

Beast Boy said, "Boy, this is a tough decision to make. My love or my friend? Oh wait, I'll pick the one who is both, so that means I choose you...Terra."

Terra was released from her chamber and hugged Beast Boy forcefully in her arms.

Raven's chamber then turned around, and she was then face to face with Adonis.

Adonis said, "It's just you, and it's time for me to choose, so I get to do whatever the hell I want to do, with you, my sweet."

Raven was panicking, unsure of what hell Adonis was planning on with her.

Raven's chamber opened and she ungracefully fell onto the ground. She turned around and tried to blast Adonis away, but nothing came out.

"I believe that chamber did a little more than suppress your powers in there. It shut them down for another week, so I can do whatever I want without interference."

Raven urgently said, "Leave me alone Adonis. You don't want to do this."

Adonis just said, "Actually, I do more than anything else."

Adonis pushed Raven forcefully onto the ground. He then ripped off her cloak and cast it aside before pulling her leotard right off of her. Raven was flooded with memories of her previous nightmare, where she was turned into a tar-and-feather raven.

Adonis then slipped out of his armor, leaving him just in his boxers.

Adonis then took a little lap around the gym, but after he attached weights that left Raven unable to move or get up. Raven painfully thought how ten guys walked in, and ten guys picked girls other than her. Raven realized that nobody liked her or even loved her, that she would be their last choice. She knew nobody would come and save her from the hell she was about to endure.

Adonis then walked back up to Raven. There was an obvious bulge coming out of his boxers.

Adonis said, "Open wide, my dear."

Raven began screaming in pain, "No, not that. Please not that."


	4. Trapped

Raven suddenly awoke from her dream. She knew all too well that was a lot closer to the truth than she ever would have liked to know - that nobody would be willing to save her was just an uneasy thought running through her head.

However, when Raven woke up, she saw she was not in her room. She had no clue where the hell she was. It was a completely white room with a cot, a toilet, a small tub, and a desk. She noticed that there were no doors or windows in this room, and the walls were all covered by mysterious markings.

Raven said, "Azarath metrion zinthos." She tried to break out of the room, but her powers wouldn't come up.

"The runes on the walls were designed to keep you from using your powers." It was just a speaker in the corner of her room.

Raven knew there was only one person whose voice that belonged to - _Robin_.

"Why are you locking me in here, Robin?" was all Raven had to say. She also noticed that she was changed out of her leotard and cloak into a black and white-striped shirt and pants, just like a prison uniform.

"You lied to us. You never told us that you were Trigon's portal into Earth. And we aren't ready to die. So we decided it was best to keep you locked up, so Trigon could not reach you."

"This room feels more like it was designed to keep me in. No doors or windows, that is a little depressing", Raven added.

"This is the only fucking way to keep Trigon out of contact from you. Nobody can enter the room and nobody can leave it too. It is the most secure place on Earth." Raven knew that Robin wasn't the voice of that previous comment. It had to be Cyborg.

"So, last night, after you knocked me out, you built this cell for me. So I couldn't escape. That is low, guys. Way to treat me like I'm a criminal."

"That's because you are a criminal, Raven" was Robin's next comment. He continued, "You are doing things not even the worst scum of the city would, you are destroying the world."

"Like I even wanted to. I never wanted to be a half-demon. I never wanted this life. Nobody wants me. Not even you guys. The first people I thought had some care for me. Am I wrong to assume that was all a big goddamn hoax?"

The Titans were silent. Raven knew they weren't answering.

"So how am I going to survive in here? You can't treat me like this, completely cutting me off from the world!"

Cyborg said, "We designed systems that enable us to send in sustenance and oxygen into your room."

"So you don't have to see me? You don't have the guts to come in and face me, tell me you are sorry for all the crap you pulled just now. So you don't risk me escaping my containment?"

With that the speaker shut itself off, leaving Raven all alone inside of her room, or as she now thought, her cell. She couldn't believe this, that the Titans were treating her like a criminal, like a threat. Not even giving her a window or a door.

* * *

After a few hours of just laying on her cot, trying to figure out her life, she decided to go over to her desk. She saw that they didn't give her any paper or writing materials.

"I could use something to do right about now. Or are you trying to bore me to death?"

Raven could not be any more pissed off with the Titans right about now.

Then, a tray teleported into the room. Raven noticed that it had just a slice of rye bread with a slather of lox on it and a tomato slice on it. It also had a book on it, without any cover on it.

Raven instantly grabbed the book and saw it was "The Beast Boy Guide to Chick Attraction". She could not believe what the hell was happening to her.

After engulfing her meal in mere seconds, she read through the book, going slowly as she had time she needed to kill. Perhaps it was better at the moment for her "friends" that she killed time and not them.

As she read the book, she was unsurprisingly disappointed that it was a chauvinistic look at Beast Boy's dating methods, how he could use his looks to attract girls (well, with use of his animals, anyway). As she read, she noticed that BB dedicated the book to Terra, the Titan that traded their lives for control over her powers (which the Titans could have taught her). Raven was infuriated as she finished reading, noticing that Beast Boy was almost publicly dissing Raven.

That instant, whatever heart Raven felt for Beast Boy was no more. If this was Robin's idea of isolating her, cutting off her relationships with the other Titans, then by hell it was certainly working.

Raven crossed her legs into an Indian position and tried to meditate. As she tried to focus herself, distract herself from what the other Titans were putting her through, she was frequently met with electrical shocks running through your body.

Raven angrily yelled, "Robin, what the hell was that about?"

Robin responded through the speakers, "We cannot risk you gaining enough energy to leave, so we cannot let you meditate."

Raven snarked, "Bullshit. Bull fucking shit."

"Too bad."

"So what happens when the week passes? When the end of the world comes and Trigon doesn't come? What will you do then?"

"We'll return you home. Back to hell, where you belong."

"Robin, you would not dare say that. I suggest that you correct your thinking of me, because if you try to send me back to my father, you will make the biggest mistake of your life. I can guarantee you that."

Suddenly, an invisible sleeping gas floated softly through the room. Raven began coughing wildly and ran to her cot.

She got on her cot as she quickly fell asleep, clearly forced upon by Robin.


	5. Burning Up

**Author's Notes:**

Okay, first I want to thank raven leveau, bloodshark, CrystalTears, and OMAC001 for your reviews so far on this work. I can't promise a regular pattern of publishing, but I should be able to get at least one chapter a week, maybe more, but don't count on it. And if I get any reviews like some of yours, I will try to respond on these author's notes.

To bloodshark, I feel that the alternating chapter style best suits this story - the odd chapters are nightmares and omens of things to come, bad things. And I don't know what direction this story will take, so I can't tell you if Raven will have a love interest. _If_ she does, it won't be any of the Titans.

To raven leveau, I have some idea of what direction I want to take this story, but I still have _a lot_ to figure out, so I can't tell you right now what will happen with Robin. Rest assured, I will bring in Trigon in a few chapters, and that will have effects on the rest of the story.

To CrystalTears, this is_**not**_an anti-Raven story. I am unopposed to Raven, the suffering I am putting on her is more to get readers to sympathize with her. I always thought that Raven's life was a tragedy (she was only born to destroy the world, she was alienated with her home dimension and with the Titans), and this is a good way of telling it.

Now, let's resume the story.

* * *

Raven found herself inside of the castle in which Malchior and Rorek fought - a story she wished she never read. That damn dragon seduced her as Rorek, taught her dark magic that nearly killed a little girl, betrayed her trust and broke her heart, not to mention trying to kill her once he was freed from his book prison. The impact of her fight with Malchior ultimately left her feeling she could never love again.

Raven floated through the castle, trying to find her way around, hoping with all of her heart that perhaps she would meet Rorek, the teenage mystic who imprisoned Malchior.

She went through the grand hall of the castle, finding heavy burns and structural damage quite evident throughout the room. This was the same pattern in the entire castle, from the bedroom chambers, especially those inhabited by Malchior's parents.

Raven lamented, "Malchior was once a prince until a wizard turned him into the monster he truly was. Then he ate both of his parents and tried to destroy his whole kingdom. Rorek confronted him and won, at the cost of his own life. The similarity to my life is just dazzling - I am Rorek and Trigon is my Malchior."

Raven continued to float through the castle, going through the dining chambers and reaching the dungeon, a place Prince Malchior frequented to torture his victims to death.

As Raven passed by the dungeon, she was suddenly grabbed by Malchior, the dragon.

"Hello my dear Raven. How have you been?", said Malchior, calmly and coldly.

"I've been better. Ever since you came into my life, it has just been nothing but shit", Raven snarked.

Malchior pushed Raven into the dungeon.

"Kakouedh malucien deraca", Malchior chanted, one of the spells he had taught Raven during his tutelage, but after what happened with Kardiak, she chose not to use any of his spells.

Raven was suddenly constrained by magical chains, unable to move.

"What the hell are you doing?" Raven screamed with fury.

Malchior then breathed fire onto Raven.

The first scorching flames struck her legs, causing severe fire burns on them.

Raven tried to put the fire out, but it just continued, not stopping its burning until Raven's legs were burned to a black crisp.

Malchior then said, "I know everything about you Raven. Your strengths, your weaknesses, your fears. I know every moment of your life, from Azarath to now, from Trigon to Slade. You cannot resist me, you cannot stop me."

"Fuck you, Malchior", Raven said.

"What should I do next my dear? Burn your right arm or disembowel you with my teeth? I honestly cannot decide, so I will just do them both" Malchior said.

Malchior then swung his tail into Raven's abdomen, striking right in the middle.

Raven cried out in pain as her inner organs began to pour out of her - small intestine, large intestine, kidneys, liver, pancreas, gall bladder.

Then Malchior ignited his fire and hit Raven's right arm.

In mere seconds, the fire split off Raven's lower arm and hand. That did not stop the fire turning Raven's arm into char, both parts of it.

Raven could only continue to cry out in pain as her right arm all but disintegrated apart as the burn continued.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Raven said.

Malchior said, "You bound me back to my prison. I want my revenge, and in my realm, I have all the control. You can't stop me."

"Goodbye, Raven."

Malchior then ignited his fire onto Raven's chest, causing it to burn.

The fire spread even quicker than before, igniting her organ-less abdomen and left arm as it crept up her neck.

"Stop it, Malchior. You don't have to do this. I just imprisoned you, I didn't kill you."

"Imprisoning me was killing me. This will make us even. You sent me to hell, I am returning the favor."

Raven screamed incredibly loudly as the fire spread onto her head.

Her skin burned off in less than a second as her hair ignited, destroying it in no time.

In mere seconds, Raven was left nothing more than a charred corpse, burned beyond any recognition.

Malchior's restraints then disappeared, leaving Raven's broken and burned bones sprawled all over the floor.

Malchior then flew out, causing even more destruction as the stones fell out and crashed around what remained of the half-demon.


	6. Remanded

**Author's Notes:**

I'd like to thank everybody who has read and reviewed this story so far.

To raven leveau, the odd chapters are Raven's nightmares, her negative emotions manifesting themselves to hurt her. They also ultimately will have _something_ to do with the chapter that comes after them.

To AlwaysSmile3, about your flame, if you think about it, Robin doesn't always do what is best for his teammates (Red X, remember?) even though he thinks it is best. He doesn't believe the team should have any secrets with each other, they need to reveal everything. Starfire will always side with Robin, given their relationship. Beast Boy is still suffering from the effects of Terra's betrayal, so Raven's deceit ultimately turned him against her. Cyborg still has some issues with telling right and wrong in Raven, so he is going with his mind that says Raven is pure evil and must be contained.

To bloodshark, there may be foreshadowing, but like I said in the author's notes of the previous chapter, I don't exactly know what direction this story is going, but you do have some interesting ideas there.

**Note**: If you have any ideas for a nightmare, send me a Private Message and if I like it, I will use it and give you credit in the author's notes.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

Raven woke up following her nightmare, still drowsy from the effects of the knock-out gas. She had no way of telling what time it is, given there were no doors or windows, not to mention no clock in the room. The single lightbulb in the room was on, giving Raven adequate lighting.

She looked beneath her cot to see if they left her anything else. All she found was a bar of soap and two towels.

She felt she was a little sweaty and definitely not clean, her last wash having been three days ago - she was too distracted the day after by Robin's insistence on searching for the Mark of Skaath to take one, and the next day she awoke in this cell.

She figured she might be able to get a shower in before the Titans come in to observe her.

She took off her prisoner wear (the striped shirt and pants), which Raven curiously found were the only things they gave her for clothing and grabbed the soap before headed to the small shower.

Raven found she barely fit inside of the shower tub. When she turned on the water, she noticed that (a), it was very cold and (b), it was only on for three minutes. Raven silently thought, _Way to treat me like a prisoner, Robin, though I bet they get better treatment than me_.

Raven used her limited time in the shower to scrub herself with the soap, trying to clean herself as best she could in these crappy conditions.

In her short three-minute window, she managed to rub herself down with soap and wash it off, only wishing she had shampoo to deal with her hair, which was starting to become dry.

When the shower turned off, Raven began to grab the towel when another familiar voice spoke through the speakers.

"Hello prisoner Raven. How are you doing this day?"

Raven knew that it had to be Starfire.

Raven responded, "Poorly, given you locked me into a cell with no windows or doors and are treating me like I am worse than the criminals we catch. What time is it anyway?"

Starfire simply said, "Four hundred thirty-five hours. We are on alternating watches to keep an eye on you, six hours a piece."

"You took the midnight shift, and then what?"

"The order is me, Cyborg, Robin, Beast Boy. Robin decided the order."

"Then I know when I can try to talk some sense into that bird brain."

* * *

Starfire was watching Raven change into her prison outfit from a monitor inside of the tower living room.

Part of Starfire (perhaps what remained of her decency) wanted to free Raven from the prison, but the rest of Starfire (the dark, evil, nasty regions of her mind Blackfire had influenced) wanted to keep Raven locked up in there, perhaps even to kill her for what she has done (or rather what she is supposed to do in a few days).

Starfire spent most of her shift watching Raven reading _Earth Teen Weekly_, which Beast Boy suggested she read in order to better grasp the habits of other girls.

Cyborg walked into the living room at 5:58 AM, just in time to begin his shift of watching Raven.

"Hey Star. How is Raven doing?", he asked Starfire.

"She is awake. I doubt she got much sleep last night."

"Star, go back to bed. You need the sleep."

Starfire flew out of the room, giving Cyborg complete access and control over the lookout.

"This is even better than those lame Japanese horror movies BB made us watch."

* * *

Meanwhile, beneath the Earth, in the molten kingdom known as the Infernal Provinces, armies of fire demons were being assembled. It was almost time for the Archfiend Trigon, also known as Skaath, to make his arrival on Earth.

In his throne room, he met with his servant, Slade.

"Hello, master. The task is complete. Raven knows what she must do when the time comes", Slade said in his monotone voice.

"You may have done the task, but the manner you did it in I find most...perplexing", said Trigon.

"If you remember correctly, Trigon, I was a master of psychology. I simply used it to turn the Titans against your daughter. She has nobody left, nobody to rely on, nobody willing to save her. Her mind will crack with ease. The portal will be opened. The prophecy shall be fulfilled."

"Very well, Slade. Taking this into consideration I find you have served me in capacities I never imagined possible. When the portal is opened, you shall receive what is due to you."

"I am most counting on it."

Slade then phased through the door and vanished from Trigon's sight. He had work to do to ensure his master's arrival on Earth, and claim his reward.

* * *

It was well past noon, and it was Robin's turn to observe the imprisoned Titan Raven. Obviously, Raven was completely pissed off at Robin for doing this to her.

"Where am I, Robin? Where the fuck did you imprison me?" Raven asked furiously.

"I cannot tell you, Raven. You might get initiative to be able to escape. I can tell you that you have not left the city", Robin somberly said.

"Why the fuck didn't you tell us, Raven? Why did you leave out that you are the daughter of Trigon?" Robin angrily continued.

"I didn't want you to think any less of me because of who I was. Yes, I withheld that information, but was I the only one? Let's see, did Starfire tell us when we first met her that she was a princess? Did you tell us that you were the disciple of Batman? Did Beast Boy tell us about his failed acting career? Did Cyborg ever mention that he worked for STAR Labs? The answer to all of those is no. You can't judge me for withholding my father's identity. If you didn't know who he fucking was, what would you think of me?"

Robin did not say another word.

"That's what I thought."

"Well your judgment leaves a lot to be desired, Raven. I remember you trusted a dragon with your life and then he tried to destroy us."

"I only fell in because you were treating me like a creep, ignoring me, not caring about me. And has that situation changed? No. Malchior, even as the rotten fuck he is, was the first person, or creature, to take an interest in me. Even my own mother ignored me. Nobody ever cared about me. And I'm not the only one who ever did something like that. Remember Terra, Beast Boy trusted her and she sold us out to Slade. You guys were amazed with Val-Yor and he was demeaning to Starfire. And Blackfire, she is a galactic criminal. If you want to single me out for being human, make sure your slate is completely clean. And I know it isn't."

Around four in the afternoon, Raven was given her meal for the day - tuna salad in a whole wheat wrap that could feed half a seven year old. Raven ate it in a heartbeat without any pause.

Raven really could use something to drink. She needed her herbal tea, but Robin felt that it was too much of a hazard since it could help her escape. He wouldn't even give her water, and her throat was beginning to dry. Raven had wanted to drink the shower water, but it was filled with chemicals that Raven couldn't stomach.

All this did was fuel the fire inside of her that was Rage. Her anger was slowly gaining strength, but even with it at maximum power, Raven could not escape from the cell. The walls were too powerful for hands to tear down.

Raven said to herself, "They imprison me to prevent me from doing something that I don't want to do. The irony is that the more they keep me locked up in here, the more they make me _want_ to open the portal. They will pay for what they have done."

* * *

The other four Titans are convening in the garage, not wanting to risk Raven overhearing them. After knocking her unconscious with the knockout gas, they assembled.

Cyborg asked, "So what are we going to do about Raven? We can't keep her locked in there forever. She'll die."

Robin said, "It's just until the prophesized day passes. Then she'll be out of our hands forever. She'll go back to hell where she belongs."

Beast Boy said, "Yeah. I'm dead tired of her constant put-downs. I want a teammate that actually laughs at my jokes, not twists them back on me."

Starfire said, "We knew Raven for so long, and now we are going to let her rot away?"

Robin said, "She's nothing more than scum, Starfire. She cannot be allowed to leave that room. If need be, I will kill her myself."

Robin walked out of the meeting room. The other Titans were shocked by the last eight words Robin had said. They had problems with Raven's hidden past, but killing her was just plain excessive. They would soon realize their sense of right and wrong had just went out the window.


	7. Strait Conversation

**Author's Notes**

Okay, you may be a little upset about the delay, but now I'm back.

To bloodshark, I like your nightmare idea - I won't use it this chapter, but I may use it in a few chapters from now. Personally, I feel rage is the most dangerous of Raven's emotions and doesn't exactly rule.

To raven leveau, you sort of have the right idea. I am assuming you meant that they are relishing Trigon. Anyway, your review is appreciated and I doubt that all of the Titans will be like Robin. You'll see in a few chapters.

And just to let you know, soon the story will begin to digress from the original TV series - you will know when this happens. I felt that doing this would further serve the story and explore Raven in depth.

Now, let's continue with the story.

* * *

Raven was drowsy when she began to come to. She awoke and saw she was surrounded by nothing but white.

Raven got up onto her feet, something she found surprisingly hard to do. It was like her legs had never been used before, or at least in a very long time.

She tried to move her arms, but they weren't coming out in front of her. She looked down to see that her leotard (which she miraculously felt was still there on her, knowing that she could very well be naked) was covered by the constricting straitjacket. How she hated those things. She also noticed that her cloak was not there at all.

Raven was furious, whoever put her in there both didn't want her to escape, but also so she couldn't use her arms - she thought whoever put it on her thought she was crazy, or didn't trust her.

"Hello. Is anybody there?" Raven furiously asked around, trying to get a response.

"Is anybody here? Could somebody tell me where the hell I am? Or how the hell I got here? Anybody? Really?" Raven's tone dropped from concerned to her signature sarcastic and uncaring monotone.

Raven began walking around in circles, trying to figure it out. Who would do something like this? Raven had one name furiously burned into the top of her head - Robin.

He trapped her inside of the cell without any exit or window, no way of using her powers. Raven suspected that he could be behind this, and she wouldn't put it past him.

When thinking things through, she began to realize that Robin wasn't one to use straitjackets for suspected criminals - he used cells and prisons. He only used the straitjacket if he thought one was crazy - and he knew that Raven wasn't crazy.

Suddenly Raven falls down onto the ground. She then realizes that something tripped her, which she feels is odd given that she was all alone, nothing in the room but bright white and herself.

Raven turns up right but finds that her legs have suddenly stiffened, rendering it impossible for her to move at all.

"Would somebody fucking tell me what the hell is going on?"

Finally, a voice came out, a voice that Raven dreaded more than anything.

"You are being contained for your own good my dear daughter."

Trigon. The demon that raped her mother to create Raven, who was born merely to destroy the Earth.

"What the fuck do you know about my good? You are pure fucking evil! Good is not in your fucking vocabulary!"

"This will keep you safe and out of harm's way. Your so-called 'friends'", Trigon makes a mocking laugh at that last word, "locked you away and cast you out, treating you like a leper, like a monster. Just like the people of Azarath did."

"Why the fuck do you have to constantly bring up my fucking pain? You are supposed to keep me out of harm's way, not fucking put me back in the fucking center!"

"What is it that you truly despise my dear - me or the fact that I am right?"

"The fact that you are right. Why is it always that everybody around me treats me like I am you?"

"Because you _are_me. Like father, like daughter. I bring destruction everywhere I go, as do you. I hold evil within my soul, that evil is in your soul too my dear. And it will never come out."

"Bullshit! I am nothing like you! I don't have your fucking evil within my soul."

"Really? Then how do you explain this?"

Suddenly, Raven's eyes morph into her father's - the dreaded four red eyes she hates so. She cowers away in fear.

"Get the fuck away from me, Trigon!"

"Now that's _no_ way to treat one's father."

"You aren't my father! You never treated me like a daughter. We are family only in name, not in spirit. Fuck you!"

Suddenly, Raven's legs burn with the red demonic runes that spell the prophecy.

"Now what you have concealed"

"You shall become", Raven says unenthusiastically, having heard it so many times before, "That gets fucking old."

"And this shall be permanent. No longer shall you hide what you truly are. It will stick with you forever, and I guarantee it. Everybody shall know you as the Gem of Skaath, as the daughter of Trigon the Terrible, as the end of the world."

Raven's straitjacket suddenly erupts right off of her. Raven falls down onto the ground as the red demonic runes cover her entire body from head to toe.

"Then why did you fucking put me in a fucking straitjacket?"

"So you would stay and listen. So you would not interfere. And now you shall be at my feet."

Suddenly, a large black hole emerged right where Raven was lying.

Raven could not help but be sucked right into it. The portal that brought her to hell, the hell ruled by her father, a hell Raven hoped to never see.


	8. Uneasy Team

**Author's Notes**

To bloodshark, thanks for your review. The purpose of that nightmare was more to show how far Raven is falling into Trigon's grasp, which is why Robin trapped Raven in the cell. This will play a role sometime in the next few chapters. You'll have to wait and see what becomes of it.

To Xxsnow dreamxX, thanks for your review. I appreciate you liked the story, unlike some people.

Now, let's continue with the story.

* * *

Raven woke up once again inside of her cell. Another day has begun for her, another day of dread and agony. Another day trapped like an animal, as a prisoner inside of the cage Robin put her in. She knew that in less than five days, the day of the prophecy would come and would finally give her salvation. Raven quietly noted the irony, how she would be saved from the room as she would soon be damned to hell for who she was.

Raven went over to the shower and took her short shower, figuring she could do it quickly before any of the guys could see her naked. She thinks, however, that at least one of them has seen her naked, removing her leotard and cloak to put on her prison uniform. God, if she ever got out of there, they were likely going to be half-dead, maybe even fully dead, before she got through with them.

After finishing the shower in which she rinsed her hair a little, having noticed it was a little dry, she dried off the rest of her body and put back on her prison uniform.

"Hello? Is anybody there? Star? Cy? Is anybody willing to fucking talk to me?", Raven says as her tone becomes increasingly panicked and agitated with each word.

Raven soon became a little jumpy and nervous. Normally, somebody would be there, to talk with her. At least try to alleviate some of the tension on her, keep her from going insane. Was Robin trying to make her insane?

* * *

In the living room, Starfire is silently watching Raven at 4:45 AM. She is also petting Silkie, her pet mutant moth larvae (a pet only a Titan can get) while drinking her morning cup of spicy mustard (another oddity only present in Titans Tower). Starfire wishes she could speak with Raven, but she discovered that Robin had disabled the speakers, which prevented them from speaking to Raven.

If Raven knew, which she would soon find out, she would know that Robin truly was trying to drive her mad, trying to do everything possible to waste her. To destabilize her, to ruin her.

Following the meeting they had the previous night, Starfire began to think Robin was going too far in his treatment of Raven. This almost solidified these thoughts, rendering them unable to speak to her, to make her all alone, all helpless, all vulnerable. After the meeting, Starfire spoke with Beast Boy and Cyborg.

* * *

_Starfire asked, "So, is it me or is Robin treating Raven harshly?"_

_Cyborg replied, "Robin is treating Raven harshly. I mean, it's not Raven's fault she is who she is - I wouldn't want to be the child of the biggest bastard in the universe. And face it, what would have happened if we found out when we first met her? The fucking exact same thing, and we didn't even know her then."_

_Beast Boy added, "And we barely know her now. I don't know about you two, but Raven wasn't the ideal friend."_

_Cyborg said, "But she was the perfect teammate. She was loyal and always helped us. If it weren't for her, we'd be long gone. BB, if it weren't for Raven, your comedy would still completely suck. If it weren't for her, we wouldn't have the T-Car - she helped me find it and rebuild it when Overload took it over."_

_Starfire said, "And if not for her, I would be on the Gordonian home world as a slave at their every demand. I do not want to be there."_

_Beast Boy stated, "And she saved Robin's ass from Slade when his mask poisoned him with Slade hallucinations."_

_Cyborg added, "We owe her everything, and we cast her aside like she was fucking worthless. We are everything to her. And we betrayed that trust. Robin didn't even tell us where she was being imprisoned."_

_Starfire inquiried, "What will we do? We cannot let her die, can we?"_

_Beast Boy said, "Robin's not good for the team. As long as he's around, we're on a destructive path."_

_Cyborg said, "But we can't directly oppose him. Remember what happened with Red-X? Robin knows how to take us down, he knows everything about us. And we'd need Raven if we wanted to depose him."_

_Beast Boy said, "It's just a matter of damn time before he practically fucking wastes us himself."_

* * *

It was now 9:45 AM, meaning it was long into Cyborg's watch shift of Raven.

As Cyborg continued his shift of watching over Raven, the other three Titans were called to handle a break-in at the Jump City Car Warehouse.

It took the Titans quite a while, around an hour, to defeat the intruder - Control Freak, who was animating the cars, just like Transformers. Cyborg knew there would be plenty of cheesy puns in that fight. He might have actually liked that fight, even though he hates to fight these criminals. It's the fighting part he is becoming more and more uncomfortable with, especially since what happened with Raven.

He thought long and hard about what had happened last night, about his conversation with Beast Boy and Starfire, about what Robin said at the meeting. The Boy Wonder threatened to murder Raven if the prophecy did not send her to hell.

Meanwhile, he watched Raven slowly read the book Starfire sent down to her about Tamaranean cooking, which had some three thousand recipes, none of which Raven seemed keen on trying anytime soon.

He wanted so hard just to talk with Raven, but Robin made it an order that nobody speak to Raven. He didn't want her encouraged, and Cyborg knew he just wanted to drive Raven crazy with loneliness.

* * *

Raven continued to sit in her room, all alone. She wanted to kill Robin so bad, but she would never be able to break out. At least, not on her own.

If Raven could speak with the other Titans, she would know about their tensions with Robin. She might be able to get them to help her escape. She might be able to avert the prophecy, save them. Even if she couldn't, she might be able to make them realize that their lives are beyond saving for their recent actions.

"Raven. Now we're all alone", a voice said from the speakers. It was the one voice Raven hated more than her father or Slade - Robin.

"I used to be able to speak with the other Titans, but now I fucking see that you are trying to drive me crazy."

"I don't want you hypnotizing them with your demonic suggestion. Zatanna told me."

"Zatanna, the Justice League stage magician? Fucking figures, she tried to kill me the first time we met. And based on the fact that you are relying on Zatanna's word alone makes me think that there are some underlying tensions within the team, are there not?"

"That cell is supposed to contain your mind. Do nothing that could help you escape."

"Ah, so now you admit the grand purpose of things, to keep me locked away forever. And you don't want me talking with the other Titans to prevent us from removing you. You've become quite the dictator Robin. You're no better than my father. Actually, I think my father may be slightly better than you at this point. That is just fucking sad."

* * *

Robin once again disabled communications after his talk with Raven. She now knew about the team's underlying tensions, and she hoped she could use that to her advantage in escaping. However, only Robin knew the location of her cell.

Robin built the cell in an unknown location. Cyborg designed the transporter to bring her food and other materials, but Robin knew the coordinates of transport, and only Robin knew. It was clear now that Robin was trying to keep a hold on his team, and Raven was the shining example of his control.

Now, it was Beast Boy's turn to watch Raven. Just after Robin left, Cyborg fixed the communications, allowing BB to talk to Raven, maybe make a plan to stop Robin.

Beast Boy said, "Hello, Raven. Just wanted to talk with you."

Raven asked, "Why? Are you trying to get me to help you depose Fuhrer Robin?"

Beast Boy replied, "Pretty much. Robin convened a meeting last night and he said that if you weren't dead when the prophecy came, he would kill you himself. After that, Cy, Star, and I had a talk, and we all came to the realization of just who Robin is."

Raven added, "A stubborn, obsessive hypocrite who keeps constant tabs on the people closest to him. He is bad fucking news for us."

The shapeshifter added, "We came to that conclusion to. He's only human, which means that he has no powers. Unfortunately, he knows how to defeat us. I am just afraid he will kill us if we make one disapproving remark, if we oppose his authority in any way."

As Robin listened in through a microphone in his room, his suspicions were correct - the other Titans were plotting against him. He had arranged the shifts so that he could watch them, see what they say to Raven. Today proved it. He knows that he has to instill into them just what he is capable of, to ensure their undivided loyalty to him.


	9. Azarath as Hell

**Author's Notes**

To bloodshark, I don't know exactly when Robin will die (if I choose to kill him), but I can assure you that within a few chapters, Robin will get what's coming to him. The Titans are obviously not going to be the same following what will happen.

To raven leveau, I certainly understand what you are thinking with Robin. Like I said with bloodshark, I don't know what fate Robin will have yet. Actually, I have some idea but it's not fully refined - it won't be pleasant for Robin I assure you. And with Starfire's relationship with Robin, I doubt she would be able to kill him.

And readers, just a little request. If you write a review, would you be so kind as to make sure everything is spelled correctly? It makes it infinitely easier for me to understand what the hell you are saying.

Now, let's continue with the story.

* * *

Raven found herself in the world that had brought her up - the realm of Azarath. It was built upon an ideal of peace, of tranquility. Unfortunately for Raven, she never got to bask in that same peace. As she was the daughter of Trigon, everybody in the realm thought of her as nothing but evil.

When Raven was born, the high monk Azar forbade Raven's mother Arella from seeing her, feeling it was too much of a risk. Raven was raised solely by the monks in the High Temple.

When Raven was three days old, one of the monks attempted to throw her into a demonic portal where she would be condemned to reside by her father for all eternity, knowing the prophecy that she would destroy the world if she remained there. However, that monk was killed by Trigon before he could banish her.

Raven was taught to repress her emotions from the day she first became coherent to speak, which was around when she was three months old.

When she turned five, she was told to retrieve something valuable for Azar on the other side of Azarath. Unfortunately for her, everybody in Azarath showed up and verbally abused her, calling her an abomination and a demon. Before Raven could even make it to the center of the city, she was forced back to the High Temple in fear of everybody around her.

Arella wanted so badly to be there for Raven, to comfort her for all the pain she had just been through. Azar forbade it, in order to separate Raven from all emotional ties. She knew Raven's powers were tied to her emotions, the emotions of seeing her mother could potentially destroy Azarath.

When Raven was seven, she was asked to regularly bring things back to the High Temple in an attempt to suppress her fear in order to control it. However, the first time she came back, she had two black eyes from an angry Azarath resident. Azar was then forced to teach Raven how to heal herself so she could endure the angry Azarathians.

The next time she went out, the people of Azarath began dealing more punishment to her. Raven first went back to the High Temple with a fractured arm, then again with a broken leg. The very next time, Raven was beaten to the point of unconsciousness. As a result, Raven had to be escorted everywhere around Azarath for her protection.

* * *

Now Raven was ten in Azarath, and now she was forcibly clad in her black leotard and blue cloak. While normally the people of Azarath wore white, she was forced to wear black to signify who she was. That made her much more of a target than she already was. Raven was almost completely afraid to go out in public. This had a very profound effect on Raven, ultimately resulting in her anti-social behavior, why she spent so much time alone, to avoid being hurt.

Raven was again walking out into Azarath on the request of the new Head Monk Jehovah to retrieve a chalice for a ritual. She was just walking through Azarath when Ilim, an Azarathian resident forcibly dragged Raven into his house.

Ilim was not alone, as he was with seven other Azarathians, having formed a small Cult of Heaven, which was designed with one purpose in mind - eliminating the Gem of Skaath, aka Raven.

First, Raven's cloak was forcibly removed from her. Raven began to flash back to her previous nightmares of being tarred and feathered as well as that of Adonis preparing to rape her. But this wasn't a nightmare, it was a memory. One she wished she could forget, one she never forgot.

Then, the back of Raven's leotard was torn off, exposing her bare back to the Cult of Heaven. Ilim grabbed a brand, which loosely resembled a Mark of Skaath with four spider legs to represent how the evil was a part of her, and couldn't be removed.

Ilim placed the brand in a burning coal pit, letting it heat up. Two of the cult members held Raven down to prevent her from escaping. Her fear was taking full effect, rendering her unable to access her powers.

Then, Ilim placed the brand on Raven's bare back, causing her to scream in agony as the marks burned into her back, rendering them in her forever.

Raven later returned to Jehovah with the chalice, but she later found she was unable to heal the mark, something she wished she could do, something she needed to do. Now, she was permanently marked as the Gem of Skaath to all of Azarath.

* * *

The very next day, when Jehovah found out about what happened, Arella was given custody over Raven, feeling Raven would be much safer with her.

However, Raven could not completely recognize Arella, not seeing her as a mother, only a teacher, another monk. Arella dreaded this day ever since she gave birth to Raven. Arella knew Raven no longer felt she had a mother, but Arella still felt Raven as a daughter, and she would be damned if she couldn't give Raven the care she desperately needed.


	10. Mental Talk

**Author's Notes**

To bloodshark, Raven may be a half-demon, but she still does have limits - she would not kill a human, no matter how irritating or evil they were (like Beast Boy in the former and Terra in the latter). I also don't know what will exactly happen with Raven and the other Titans, but I seriously doubt that Raven will hook up with Starfire. I doubt she'll remain with the Titans through all of this.

To Xsnow dreamxX, thanks for the review. I have to build up Raven's pain and anger so that it ultimately proves powerful when she escapes (which will be in a few chapters). The events of the last chapter were meant to be a memory as a nightmare, which I felt was the best way of conveying those events. The nightmares are meant to hold something that comes up in the chapter that follows it.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

Raven once again woke up inside of her cell. Another day of agony went by for, and in around ninety hours from now, the prophecy would now be upon her. If she were to follow in the prophecy as foretold by the monks of Azarath, she would open the portal that allows Trigon to enter the Earth and he would conquer the world, which would turn everybody to stone. Humans, animals, plants, and species foreign to the Earth (i.e. Starfire) would all fall victim to Trigon. If she were not to follow the prophecy (say if she was still trapped inside her cell), she would be sent back to her father's realm in the Infernal Provinces (hell).

How Raven really hated her life right about now - she was stuck between two equally horrendous decisions. Either one would send her back to the hell that was her father's realm to endure God knows what for all eternity, all because of who she was. If Raven could take the coward's way out (suicide), she would even though she knew it would lead her into a hell even worse than that of her father.

Raven wanted to speak with somebody, and she knew it was around 4:30 AM. She thought it would be Starfire's shift.

"Starfire? Are you there? Are you able to talk with me? Are you willing to talk to me? Somebody, please talk to me for fuck's sake!"

"Hello Raven. Starfire won't be talking with you anymore. I'll be the only one watching you for now on." Raven knew that voice belonged to one person - Robin. Raven thought, _fucking bastard_.

"Robin. How unpleasant is it to hear you right now. Why are you the only person watching me? Can you not trust Starfire? Or how about Beast Boy or Cyborg? Can you trust them, or have you become paranoid that they will try to fuck you from your place as leader?"

"How the hell did you figure that out? You shot the bullseye without even aiming!"

"I'm an empath, remember? I could tell your problems with the team just from your speech patterns. So you truly are having problems with the other Titans. You cast me aside, so what will make me think you won't do the exact same shit to the others, trapping them in inescapable cells?"

"Goodbye, Raven." With that Robin cut the speakers. Nobody would ever speak to Raven again, she was left to die alone in the cell. Raven just wanted things to go back to normal, before her father brought Slade back from the dead. But she knew that would never happen.

* * *

It was now ten in the morning. Raven continued to lie on her bed, hating every second of it, being endlessly watched by Robin. Raven thought, _Boy Wonder, my ass. More like Boy Burden, treating me like this. He is just stereotyping me_.

Raven really would kill for _**somebody **_to talk to, even if it were Control Freak (who could only talk about cheesy 1970s sci-fi movies that nobody remembers) or even Adonis, the robot-suited pervert that caused Beast Boy to become the Beast. She couldn't even talk to her emotions in Nevermore to figure things out, as Robin had prevented her from meditating.

"Oh please let me be able to talk to some fucking body!" Raven shouted.

Suddenly, a voice spoke up inside of her head, "Well now, I may have the answer to your problem." Raven recognized it immediately - one person all Titans hated with all of their hearts - Slade.

"What do you want, Slade?"

"First to express my condolences for you being locked up in that cell. I wouldn't have imagined Robin being capable of doing it. I once told Robin we were so much alike, but not even I would do this. I am surprised you are still able to breathe in there."

"They teleport in air, as they teleport in other things, to keep me alive until the prophecy comes and I get cast back off to hell."

"Well your father sends his regards. I am trying to find you but there is something blocking that sense. Trigon can't find you, I can't find you. Where are you?"

"Welcome to the club. Only Robin knows where I am. And he doesn't want to reveal where it is. He's very stubborn, he thinks if know where I am, I could escape. He's even keeping me from getting full strength - I only get one small meal a day and no fluids, not to mention keeping me from meditating. I have to admit, I am kind of glad having someone to talk to. Even if you were part of the fucking reason I am trapped in here."

"Well, if I can't find out where you are, we could just talk."

"Someone told me something like that, and then turned out to be a thousand year old dragon who tried to kill me."

"You know that I can't harm you, father's orders."

"Okay then, where do you want to fucking start? Birth?"

"One thing did make me curious. When Robin was my apprentice, I infected you with nanoscopic probes that were supposed to destroy you. When I activated the probes, you seemed unaffected in the slightest."

"When I was ten, I was branded by a group of Azarathians to signify I was the Gem of Skaath. It put me in constant pain, I am always suffering from it. Your probes seemed like absolute nothing compared to it. Now, it is burning my back even with the runes blocking my powers and my father's influence."

"It seems like your life has been nothing but agony. Pure agony. My son suffered something similar - this vocal chords were cut out when he was ten. He is in constant pain from it, and can't speak a word - he has to use sign language or possess someone's body to do so."

"Jericho? I met him once in Tibet after I came from Azarath. He might be good as a Titan, but he wouldn't pass Robin's test, which would be because he is related to you."

"I see. If Jericho would want to become a Titan, I would give my blessing to him. I want at least one of my children to be on the side of good. One of my sons, Grant, stole the Red-X suit from your tower and my daughter Rose is an assassin under the name Ravager."

"Nice to know", which Raven monotonely deadpanned.

"When I burned those marks into your arm, I noticed seven marks on your left arm, like it was counting something."

"Do you believe I am a virgin?"

"Saying that, no. Beforehand, I would have assumed so."

"The first mark came when I was raped by a member of the Cult of Heaven, Azarathians dedicated to my death. I was three months away from turning thirteen at the time. I lost my virginity six times again. I was barely fourteen when the fifth rape came. Then, I decided to flee from Azarath."

"You didn't flee to avoid your father?"

"I fled to avoid the Azarathians. I fled to escape their cruelty, their brutality. They were nothing of peace to me. Why are you working with my father?"

"He promised me something only he could return to me."

"Your flesh and blood? I sensed when you came back you were not whole. You were only bone and magic. I knew Terra's final attack killed you and when your mask unleashed a chemical that tried to kill Robin, I knew you weren't the Slade he was seeing."

"The mask was a contingency, I figured I activate it, part of the plan to eliminate your friends, isolate you to bring you to Trigon."

"You made attempts against the other Titans?"

"The computer virus in the video game Beast Boy downloaded was meant against Cyborg. The vat that spilled onto Beast Boy was meant against him. And Silkie was meant against Starfire. Killer Moth owed me a favor."

"Well, my father is no fool. He won't give you that. When the world ends, even if he does, you'll be cheated out of your life."

"What do you advise then?"

"First, try to free me. Then we can figure it out from there."

* * *

It was night, long after Raven's mental conversation with Slade. Robin had watched the conversation but could not tell what was going on.

Cyborg walked into Robin's room, where had moved the surveillance monitors that were watching Raven.

"You wanted to see me, Rob?"

"Yeah, Cyborg. We've been requested in Venice for a police-training symposium. We leave tomorrow morning, be back the next day."

"So, wouldn't that facilitate bringing along Raven? Are you willing to tell us where you kept her?"

"No. I don't want anybody knowing about her or the prophecy. I can't risk it getting loose. We'll just say she is keeping tabs on Jump City."

"Then who will keep tabs on the city with Raven in the cell? And who will watch Raven?"

"I'll watch Raven. Kid Flash will keep tabs on the city for us. He won't ask questions about Raven."

"This is going to turn ugly when everybody begins asking questions that reveal your lies."

"It won't. I assure you Cyborg."

Cyborg left Robin's room. He knew Robin was leading the team on an ultimately destructive path - they wouldn't survive much more of this.

Before he went to bed, Cyborg went to Raven's room. He truly did miss the empath. He was willing to forgive her for everything, as she ultimately had nothing to do with it. Beast Boy and Starfire had done likewise. Robin was blinded by his rage with Slade that he couldn't consider Raven's humanity. If they could bring things back to normal, he would jump on the chance no matter what the cost.


	11. Crash of Rock

**Author's Notes**

To bloodshark, thanks for your review. This is going to be another Slade-Raven chapter, as will the chapter following this. We're getting closer to the time of the prophecy now, and I am willing to bet you will be surprised as to how the next few chapters will go.

Attention readers: I have a poll on my page I would like you to respond to. Please submit a response to it.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

This was an unusual place for Raven, as she did not know where the hell she was. She noticed she was in her usual uniform, something she really could have used right then and there. Being in that prison outfit for so long was really starting to annoy her.

Raven looked around the place and saw she was in a cave, evidently one where she could not tell which side was the way to go deeper and which was the way to get out. Raven could only dread what would happen in this nightmare, so she decided to scramble like hell and flee.

But which direction to go? Raven went with her gut, something she rarely did because she preferred using logic and her mind to instinct, and went to her right.

Raven levitated up and flew as fast as she could go, but after a few seconds, she found herself trapped in the back of the cave. How she really hated relying on her gut instinct. She quickly turned around and tried to go the other way.

Unfortunately, the cave then came crashing down, blocking Raven's exit to freedom. Raven turned around to see who crashed the cave. Who she saw do it simply startled her.

"Terra", Raven coldly stated. Terra looked angrily at her, wearing the outfit Slade designed for her when she was his apprentice.

"Hello, Raven. Long time no see. I was starting to think I'd never get to see that drab fashion again", Terra said.

"What the fuck are you doing here? Did Slade fucking hire you? Are you employed by Trigon the Terrible?"

Another voice responded to that question, one that made even the toughest Titan tremble. "She's helping out an old friend, doing a little favor for me. You see my dear, this is the border realm. In between life and death. When she turned to stone, she entered here, and once she gets out of that stone prison, she will return. However, I doubt she will be the same girl that was trapped in there. And this is where I make my home now, until I collect my payment."

Raven said to Slade, who calmly walked towards her, "I'm not dead, so why am I here?"

Slade said, "As a half-demon, you can go through any of the three realms - the realm of the living, the realm of the damned, and the border realm. And besides, when the prophecy comes, you won't be headed for the border realm, you will be in the realm of the damned."

Raven responded, "Okay then, Terra why are you here?"

Terra said, "I'm helping an old friend. And I can't let you escape you bitch."

Raven said, "What favor is this she is doing for you, Slade?" Then, Slade simply vanished from the cave. Raven dreaded what was going to happen next.

"Oh this isn't for Slade. This is for Robin."

Suddenly, a barrage of rocks suddenly charges at Raven, manipulated by Terra. They instantly impact Raven, causing her to crash into the wall. Raven is left in complete disarray, dizzy as she struggled to regain her bearings.

"What did Robin ask you to do? Kill me, so he didn't have to get his hands dirty? Keep murder out of his conscience? And you said yes for fucking revenge. You deserve to die, Terra. You did unspeakable things."

Raven sent a wave of black energy charging at Terra. She was unable to block it with her rocks, and she crashed into the opposite side of the cave.

"Not as fucking unspeakable as the shit you are going to do, you rotten bitch!"

Terra then caused the cave to begin unstable vibrations that easily shook up Raven.

Raven threw more black energy at Terra, striking her back and forcing her to stop the vibrations. Raven then used her energy to grab Terra and forced her into the air.

"You better quit, or I will kill you. And you know I won't hesitate."

Suddenly, Raven lost her footing when Terra triggered a rock collapse, causing Raven to slip and lose her grip on Terra. Terra then responded with four quick kicks to Raven - one in the face, one in the chest, one in the stomach, and one in her crotch. That last kick knocked Raven down onto the ground.

Terra then grabbed a very large rock, preparing to finish off Raven. "Nice knowing you, oh wait, it was never nice knowing you. Go to hell you bitch!"

Raven rolled out of the way as Terra smashed her rock into the ground. Raven then punched Terra repeatedly in the head and chest, forcing her into one of the cave walls.

Terra was distracted by this and Raven surrounded Terra with black energy before throwing her deep into the cave, causing her to impact the back of the cave.

However, Terra was not out of the game yet and quickly caused the rocky floor to turn into quicksand, which quickly engulfed Raven's feet. She tried to levitate out of it, but it proved to be too sticky to let go.

Slowly, the quicksand began to consume Raven whole. Her legs quickly entered the bottomless pit, and soon her chest entered the pit. Terra was ready to finish her off, smiling menacingly at her prey. Terra said to Raven as her head was the only thing above the surface, "Say hi to your daddy for me."

Before Terra could finally sink Raven, the half-demon miraculously began to surface, coming up out of the quicksand whole. Raven began to breathe fairly heavily over what had just happened.

Terra was infuriated and tried to send Raven back into the quicksand. However, Slade then reappeared with his fire powers. Slade mockingly said, "Terra, I can't have you killing Raven. She's the beginning of something bigger. Much bigger."

"Bullshit!" was all Terra had to reply. She threw a lot of rocks at her former master, trying to bring him down for what pain he caused her. However, Slade's fire destroyed every rock with ease. Slade then walked right past Raven up to his ex-apprentice and double agent.

Slade was right in front of Terra, and soon grabbed her arms, rendering Terra unable to move.

"I'll be sure to send Robin your regards" was what Slade said to Terra right before he vaporized her in a cloud of fire. Raven was shocked at what Slade had just done.

"Slade, why did you do that?" was what Raven said, not noticing that it was a fairly idiotic thing to say as she very well knew the answer.

"Your father gave me orders to keep you from dying until the time of the prophecy. And your position right now is jeopardizing my payment. I'll see you tomorrow my dear and then you will not have to spend another night in that hellhole", Slade said.

He then burned a hole into the cave, big enough for Raven to fit through.

Raven was obviously humbled at what he had done, and after saying "Thank you Slade", she flew out, returning back to the realm of the living. She would soon be free, soon to begin her vengeance.


	12. Just About Free

**Author's Notes**

To bloodshark, I don't exactly know if Terra will return, but right at the moment, I doubt it. There was foreshadowing in that last dream, for this chapter. Re-read the end of the chapter and you'll see it.

To raven leveau, Raven will escape from the cell **very** soon. And also soon will come her revenge against Robin - I guarantee it.

Attention readers, we are getting near the close of Act I of Raven's story. I have a question I would like your answer to. Should I put Act 2 as a part of this story, and by extension, Act 3, or make them completely separate stories? Please respond through review or private message - I will be done with Act 1 in a few days, so if you want your voice heard, respond soon.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

The Titans had left the tower at one in the morning, leaving Raven alone in her cell, with nobody to talk to or to watch over her. Raven however did not know this, or that the Titans were headed to Venice to train the local police on request of the mayor. Kid Flash was already active fighting crime, informed that Raven was currently on leave back at home in Azarath.

If Kid Flash had done his research on Azarath, he would have known that the dimension had been destroyed on Raven's birthday around a week ago. He didn't know about the falling out Robin had with Raven, nor that Raven was still in the city in a secret cell.

Raven awoke to another day of agony, or at least that is what she thought at the start of the day - another sixty or so hours and the apocalypse will come, and her destruction along with it.

It seems Raven's thinking had completely shaken and shifted during this time - she had wanted with all of her heart to prevent the coming of Trigon, but her anger at Robin slowly began to cloud her judgment. She was now considering following through with the prophecy just to get even with Robin. That was, if she could even get out of there. She barely knew where the cell was, other than it was still in Jump City. She could be beneath the tower, in Jump City Prison, or God knows where.

At the moment, she was just about ready to go postal on everything in the cell, that was if she was able to use her powers or abilities to go postal.

* * *

Kid Flash was zipping around Jump City, quickly handling the muggers and criminals pushing through the city, doing the job of a Teen Titan as well as he could be asked to.

He was called to stop a bank robbery at the Bank of Perez, not knowing who was behind it. It could have been a couple of low-level thugs, or it could have been a super-powered army. He went in and saw it was Captain Cold with four professional gunmen by his side. Kid Flash really wasn't ready for this fight - the toughest fight he had faced before was with Atlas, and he was crippled from Spike abandoning him after Atlas's fight with Cyborg.

Captain Cold quickly used his frost powers to slow down Kid Flash, preventing him from going too fast and slowing him down. The first gunman took aim at Kid Flash, but he was just able to dodge the bullets. It quickly became a massive one-sided shootout. Kid Flash was pinned down behind a bank table as the four gunmen alternated fire, giving them time to constantly reload their weapons.

What Kid Flash did not know was that Captain Cold was doing a favor for an old friend. Captain Cold was asked to slow down Kid Flash as long as he could, keep from going anywhere else, especially Titans Tower, until a certain task was complete. Captain Cold was really ready to pay off the debt he made with Slade after Slade saved his life from a corrupt cop trying to murder him.

* * *

Slade phased onto Titans Island, unseen by anybody, using a careful angle and some of Trigon's abilities. With the Titans gone for the next day or two, he would have no problem getting into the Tower.

Slade casually walked into the tower, having cashed in on another favor from Disruptor to temporarily disable the Tower security defenses. Slade could not believe that it was his first time inside of Titans Tower, but he knew Robin had seen him in there before and he had sent his Slade-bots inside as well.

Slade considered taking the elevator up to the main ops room, the fast way, but he chose to take the stairs, wanting to relish every second inside of the Tower, knowing he probably will never be inside again. He saw the training rooms and the gym. Now he knew how the Titans were keeping themselves in shape. He could have taken a closer look, saw just what they were training, know their strategies, gain the upper hand. However, he simply strolled by and continued his self-guided tour of the Tower.

Slade was impressed with the Tower's design. He could not help but compliment Cyborg's technical skills and style. At last he reached the main ops room and saw the primary screen, where he got flashbacks of his past calls to the tower, seeing the young teens all shocked by his appearance and his plot.

Even though he was Trigon's servant, he had all of his computer skills still intact, and he could quickly access the computer feed to Raven's cell, and he saw Raven frantically pacing around her cell, trying to figure things out.

Slade activated the speakers, enabling him to speak with the gem of Trigon's life. The Gem of Skaath.

"Hello, Raven. Enjoying your stay?", Slade asked her.

"Slade, are you in my mind again? That is really uncomfortable", Raven responded.

"No my dear. I'm inside the Tower. A few friends owed me a favor, and I figured I collect today. It's time to spring you. Return you to your father."

"From cell to cell, I'm not fucking surprised. Taking me from one prison to another - from Robin to Trigon."

"It won't be anywhere near as bad as the hell you are in now. Trust me. You want your freedom from this, don't you?"

Raven thought about it hard and ultimately consented.

"Now how are you going to fucking spring me?"

Slade thought something in his mind, _Trigon, what are the capabilities of your daughter's healing right about now?_

Slade got a quick response, _She can survive just about anything. Break the runes, and her powers will return. Bring her to me._

Slade teleported into the Titan Armory, where they kept all of their equipment stored. He grabbed one of Robin's exploding birdarangs and returned to the main ops room. He located the transporter.

He saw the operating instructions and placed the birdarang on the transport balcony.

"Raven, head's up. I'm sending you one of Robin's birdarangs. Throw it and it will detonate upon impact. Trust me, and you will be free."

Slade activated the transporter and sent Raven the exploding birdarang. Raven picked up the birdarang from her desk. She aimed the birdarang at the wall farthest from her. She threw the birdarang at the wall.

It detonated upon impact and finally showed Raven the way out.

Raven levitated for the first time in days and flew out of her cell, which was located on the cliff next to the tower. She smiled in relief as she was freed from the cell that had imprisoned her for so long.

* * *

She teleported into the ops room and looked at Slade, who was still looking at the screen, in slight disbelief that it actually worked.

Raven softly said, "Slade."

She then flew over to Slade and hugged him in a tight embrace. Slade (and Raven) were both surprised at what just happened. Raven wasn't known to hug people, her introverted and dark personality made it the exact opposite of something she would do. However, she was just so relieved to be freed, that time inside of the cell must have done something to her.

Slade softly brushed the half-demon's hair around, comforting her after all the pain she has suffered. Slade said, "There, there my dear. You're safe now. I won't let anything happen to you. Robin will never hurt you like this again."

The two let go after several minutes in the other's embrace. Raven asked, "Can I get some time to prepare myself? I don't want to leave her in this", pointing at her prison outfit.

"Go ahead, Raven. I don't think he would mind."

Raven flew over to the Titan bathroom quickly. She telepathically took off her prison outfit before shredding it to bits. She was never going to wear it again, she would be free from her restraints.

She then took a nice long shower, letting the hot water cleanse her from all of the pain she had suffered in the past few days. Slade took this time to explore the Tower even more, browsing through the garage and some of the living quarters. He took his time to admire the craftsmanship put into the T-Car, noting the repairs made by both Cyborg and Raven. "My dear, you are certainly a Renaissance girl", Slade happily said. He saw the simplicity of Robin's room, the girlishness of Starfire's room, the sterile tech vibe of Cyborg's room, and the utter messiness of Beast Boy's room.

Raven finished her shower, put on a towel, and flew to her room. She put on her leotard and cloak, appreciating its feel once more. She said, "Oh Azar, I have really missed this." Raven began to cry tears of joy in her appreciation, at the shock of returning to her room once more.

Slade walked by Raven's room and calmly knocked on the door, silently requesting to come in. "Come in Slade", Raven said.

Slade walked into the room and appreciated Raven's style of decor, liking the lush Gothic darkness, the cleanliness of her room, how it felt human. "I like your room, Raven. Rose had a similar room last time I saw her."

"When was that?"

"Seven years ago, just before she went to the HIVE Academy. She graduated four years ago. I haven't seen her since she graduated. I read up on Rose. Her work seems very influenced by me. I don't know whether or not to be happy or sad at that."

"If you were my father, you would be proud of it. If you were me, you wouldn't be. You have to make a decision. You will have to re-enter her life sometime. The question is, will she want it?"

"If I do re-enter her life, it will be when she needs it."

Raven then picks up a backpack from her closet and keeps the closet open. She opens up the backpack and says, "Azarath metrion zinthos."

Everything in her room suddenly swirled around into Raven's backpack. When her room was empty, Raven closed the backpack, which wasn't incredibly heavy.

"I figure I'm not coming back here, so I should take my stuff. Want a cup of tea?"

"If I were of flesh and blood, I would say yes."

"Suit yourself."

Raven flew into the ops room and brewed a cup of herbal tea. When it was done, she quickly drank it, quenching her throat for the first time in days.

After putting the tea maker in her backpack, she grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator, continuing to quench her thirst from Robin's deprivation. She then filled her stomach with leftover pizza from the refrigerator, which she was fortunate the Titans did not finish.

Raven said, "I'm ready to go Slade. Time to figure everything out."

Slade responded, "It is indeed, my dear."

Raven and Slade vanished from the tower, unlikely to return, well at least Slade was.

* * *

Captain Cold was informed that Slade had completed his task, and ordered his men to stop firing. Kid Flash, who had finished de-frosting, quickly disabled Cold's men before arresting Captain Cold.

He had no idea of the events that had just transpired at Titans Tower, nor did the Teen Titans. When the Titans would find out, they would be completely surprised at what just happened.


	13. Internal Confrontation

**Author's Notes**

To bloodshark, Robin doesn't know right now that Raven has escaped from her cell - Slade had disabled the alerts from Titans Tower (the favor he claimed from Disruptor). He lost it with Raven like he loses it whenever Slade is involved, so when Raven confronts Robin (which will be soon), you can be sure that it won't be pretty.

To Xxsnow dreamxX, I don't think Raven has gone insane - her mind wasn't quite fractured by the time in the cell, so she probably will recover from the damage done to her by Robin.

To RedZenin, I'll take your advice under consideration, but it will be a few more days before I tell you my plan for Act 2 (I'm still figuring it out). I try to get one chapter done a day, but of course, I can't guarantee it.

I credit bloodshark with the content of this chapter, having suggested it a little over a week ago in his review for Chapter 6. This is going to be less of a nightmare and more of a philosophical experience.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

Raven woke up in a white void in her cloak and leotard, trying to figure out her surroundings. She knew she was now sleeping calmly in a castle owned by the Church of Blood, the worshippers of Trigon, having brought her things along with her.

She quickly saw the void shift and change rapidly into a melding of two very familiar environments. On her left was the fiery hell that consisted of her father's domain. On her right was the calm, peaceful tranquility that composed of her house with her mother, Arella.

She saw her mother personified as she last saw her before Raven fled Azarath, with long violet hair and a white cloak. Her father, however, was shown as a smaller version of his true nature - with hulking horns and sharp red skin plus four bloody red eyes, all muscular wearing just a loin cloth.

Raven turned to see Arella, who was trying to beckon her to come to her side, the side of good and Azarath.

"Raven, my child, come to mother. I will keep you safe, keep you protected", Arella softly said to Raven.

Raven was considering going to her mother's side. She was trying to stop her father, prevent him from ending the world. Unfortunately, there was a lot pounding on her against that, namely that Azarath had been so cruel to her, branding her, putting her in constant pain, raping her five times, Raven was forced to use a dimensional spell to escape the dimension. It would be another five weeks before Raven would meet the Titans, and she would be raped another two times in that time span.

Arella called to Raven's humanity, her decency, the good that Azarath tried to instill (emphasis on tried).

On her other side beckoned Trigon, trying to force her to his side, the side of evil and her natural heritage.

"Raven, come to me my daughter. Come and we shall conquer everything", Trigon roared towards Raven.

Raven considered going to her father's side, craving power and revenge against the Titans for imprisoning her. However, like with Arella, a lot pounded against Raven on that, mainly that if she were to succumb, she would be killed when Trigon enters the Earth, and Raven would be damned for the remainder of eternity in the lowest circles of hell. She may have been the spawn of Trigon, but she knew that Trigon would double cross her, just as he would with Slade - something Raven could not doubt.

Trigon called to Raven's inner demon, her anger, the evil that raged within her.

It was a decision that was tearing Raven apart, split between her two halves, those which composed her - the human half that could not protect her from abuse and the demon half that alienated her from society.

That decision would literally tear Raven apart, as two Ravens formed - the red Rage and the white Pure. They both had their side, and both would fight to control Raven.

If the fight were physically in Raven's mind, then Pure would be able to reintegrate Rage into her and reclaim her good side. However, it was in a limbo region, so neither Raven had the advantage.

The two Ravens began to fight, unleashing hordes of dark energy on the other, blasting them back. However, Raven proved to be a resilient one, so neither Raven was terribly winded. It was a fight that could potentially continue for all eternity, even with the fulfillment of the prophecy.

Pure Raven tried to strangle Red Raven, but she slipped away and tried to return the favor on her goody-two-shoes counterpart. On the sides of the fight, Trigon and Arella were both speaking to their daughter.

Trigon was egging on rage, telling her to take what is hers, claim all the carnage she can. Arella was appealing to Raven's sensibility, telling her to take back control. However, Raven wasn't too hungry for carnage nor had all that control set inside of her. Neither side could sway the other, it was a potentially endless fight.

Wanting to dramatically shorten things, red Raven flew away from pure Raven, intending to charge energy for a spell that would finish that fight once and for all.

Pure Raven noticed what rage was doing and prepared the counter spell.

Both Ravens chanted "Azarath metrion zinthos!" at the exact same time. Everything began to swirl around them - the fiery cave and the calm residence became one as soon Trigon and Arella became part of the mini-tornado in the void. Soon enough, both Ravens were caught in the same tornado, trying to achieve dominance.

At last, the tornado stopped, leaving only one figure inside of the void - the original Raven. After all that fighting, Raven had still yet to figure out her destiny.

That's when it hit her - she had figured out her path.

* * *

Raven woke up from her slumber in excitement. After putting on her cloak, she flew over to Slade.

"I've made up my mind. I know my path. Things won't be the same."

Slade remained perplexed as to what Raven was planning, but he was undoubtedly interested, knowing Raven could bring him back the flesh and blood Trigon was probably going to deny him.

* * *

**Next Chapter**: Raven's choice is revealed and a meeting with a certain demon begins a course to events the Titans could not have expected a week earlier.


	14. Vented Anger

**Author's Notes**

To bloodshark, you have an interesting theory there, but unfortunately it will be incorrect by the time you finish reading this chapter. And Robin will get some comeuppance this chapter, but that won't be it. Robin will be in Act 2 of the story.

To the guest reviewer, I'll try not to stop.

Now, we are at the very end of Act 1. Once this chapter is done, I will post the synopsis for Act 2 and whether or not the story continues on this story or as a new story altogether.

And now, let's continue the story.

* * *

Raven phased through the castle, reaching the border portal. Raven knew that this portal would be able to cross into her father's domain. This was it, now or never. It would now be time for Raven to make her move, finally choose her path.

Raven stepped through the portal and emerged on the other side unharmed. If a normal human were to go through the portal, they would be instantly burned alive. The only people that could go through the portal both ways were half-demons and Trigon's skeletal servants (i.e. Slade).

Raven saw that her father's castle was much like the castle she had just departed from, only more hellish and demonic, with torn cloth and fiery bricks everywhere. She was in the right place.

She floated through the castle, encountering hordes of her father's fire demon army. Normally, they would be on the attack if someone were to enter without Trigon's order. However, they were under order to not attack Raven, since she was Trigon's daughter and the Gem of Skaath.

Raven finally arrived in her father's throne room, and saw her father, resting on his throne made from human bones. Trigon would normally be around one hundred feet tall, but since he was still confined to his castle, he was around eight feet tall. Trigon looked just as he always did, which Raven was unsurprised about.

"Hello, father" was the first thing Raven said upon arriving into Trigon's throne room. Trigon was instantly alarmed by this and saw his daughter standing in front of him.

"I take it Slade completed his task if you are here. But why are you here, right now?", Trigon demanded to know from his daughter.

"I've made my mind about everything, I know what I must do...", Raven spoke as Trigon listened intently, believing Raven has finally given in to her demonic urges. Trigon thought, _Maybe I won't have to give Slade his reward_.

"And that would be destroying you." Raven suddenly finished. She unleashed a massive wave of black energy at her father, blasting him into his throne.

The throne of bones instantly shattered all around upon Trigon's impact. He was caught by complete surprise at Raven's attack - not only did he not expect it, but he did not believe Raven was capable of such underhanded attacks.

"Insolent bitch. You will pay for that." Trigon furiously ranted.

"Oh really. Aren't you forgetting who I am? I am your portal into Earth, the Gem of Skaath. And you can't hurt me. Your powers won't allow it."

Trigon unleashed his massive fire powers onto Raven, intent on destroying her. Fortunately for Raven, they just bounced right off of her, like a ball on a wall. Trigon knew Raven was right, and that Raven was going to kill him.

Raven surged more waves of dark energy at her father, repeatedly slamming him into the wall, not letting up or allowing him to get up. One of Raven's blasts got lucky and hit Trigon in one of his eyes, hurting him severely.

This in turn caused Trigon to inadvertently unleash a wave of fire at one of the walls, destroying it. Raven looked through the wall and found something - the Sword of the Crucible, a weapon capable of causing severe pain to demons. Trigon had Slade retrieve it to keep it out of anyone's hands - he wanted to be safe from its effects.

Raven grabbed the Sword of the Crucible and gripped it tightly.

"Foolish girl, that sword kills demons. It will kill you by its touch", Trigon stated.

"It hurts a little on the touch, but that is the benefit of being half-human - it won't kill me. You have no such luxury", Raven retorted.

Raven charged back at her father, who tried to back away from his enraged daughter.

Raven first sliced off Trigon's right arm, and because of the sword's power, Trigon could not regrow it or heal it. Then went Trigon's left arm, then his right leg, and then his left leg.

Raven chopped off the horns on Trigon's head, causing him even more pain, leaving him weak and crippled. Raven plunged the sword into Trigon's abdomen, causing him to scream even more.

Raven walked up to her father's head and her hands began to glow black, as if preparing for a spell. A spell to finish of Trigon the Terrible.

"Azarath metrion zinthos", Raven calmly spoke as her magic blasted Trigon's head, causing him to scream one last time.

Trigon's red magic fused with Raven's black magic, soon flowing into Raven, taking her father's life form. Raven began to glow white as the last of Trigon's energy went into his daughter (now to be called his slayer).

* * *

Slade was in the castle lobby, awaiting Raven's return, unsure of what the hell she is doing. He began to find himself surrounded by more and more of Trigon's fire demons, believing he was under threat.

However, the fire demons all vanished instantly as Slade watched, trying to figure out what happened. He turned around and saw Raven floating in front of him, wearing her black leotard and a red cloak. Her eyes and face remained normal.

Slade inquiried, "How did it go with your father?"

Raven replied, "Excellently. He is dead and gone forever. And now I have all of his power and his influence is nothing on me. I'm free from the prophecy and I am free to make my own path."

Slade stated, "I am _very_ proud of you, Raven. Not even I could have seen this coming."

Raven added, "Thank you. And to the man that saved me, it's ample time to get your reward."

Slade floated up in front of Raven, surrounded by a red-black glow that infused all around him.

Raven deadpanned one more statement, "This may hurt a little."

Red-black energy filled Slade. His bones regained structure as they became covered with his own flesh and blood. What he had lost to Terra was returning to him.

Raven let Slade down, having given him what he had made his deal with Trigon for. He was alive again, he was human again.

Slade commented, "My own flesh and blood. It feels so fresh, so welcome. It's been too long. We're even, Raven. Are we?"

Raven replied, "We are. As long as you don't come after me again."

Slade asked, "What are you going to do now? With all of your father's powers?"

Raven said, "First, I want to revisit some old friends. You know who they are. The ones that betrayed me, left me for dead. Abandoned me when I needed their help the most."

Slade said, "Well, I won't interfere. I'll be laying low for a while, figuring out my next step, maybe meeting up with some family. Oh, and send the Titans my regards."

Raven calmly stated, "I will."

With that, Raven phased out of the room in her soul-self, now displaying tints of red throughout its color.

* * *

The Teen Titans returned from their crime-training session in Venice. It had gone without issue, well at least for the most part. There were some techniques that took a while to perfect with the Venice Police. Boy, they did not know what the hell was coming.

The Titans were completely unaware of the break-in that sprung Raven, not to mention that Slade had visited their headquarters and home. The other Titans were unaware of what Robin was planning next, which would be to finish off Raven once and for all.

The Titans walked out of the hangar bay, headed for the main ops center and living room. Robin walked in first, inspecting the room for safety precautions.

Before he could signal the other Titans to come in, he was blasted right out of the room by someone unseen. Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire were startled, unaware of who exactly had breached the tower.

One second later, they had their answer - it was Raven, who startled them with her red cloak, making her look a lot like Rage, something Cyborg and Beast Boy had encountered (and feared).

Cyborg asked, "Raven? How the hell did you escape?"

Raven said, "Slade came by, gave me an explosive birdarang, and helped me escape. Have to admit, did more than any of you bastards did. He thought of using the teleporter to bring it."

Beast Boy said, "We were unsure of whether or not the teleporter could support it. And besides, Robin locks the armory, there's no way we could have gotten it."

Robin then got up and angrily assumed a fighting stance.

He growled, "Raven. Why the fuck are you here?"

Raven said, "First, Slade sends his regards. I doubt you will be seeing him for a while. Second is to show you something."

Raven grabbed the bag by her side and then threw it at the other Titans. Beast Boy opened the bag and discovered the contents - a shriveled, red lung.

Beast Boy asked, "What the hell is this? Some fucking joke?"

Raven said, "This, Garfield, is all that remains of my father. That is all that Trigon the Terrible is now. Nothing, not anything but fragments. His power now runs throughout me, my influence is now the controlling one. Never again will he roam. The prophecy will never come to pass without him. I must thank you guys for something, without all that anger I could not have possibly destroyed him."

Starfire said, "Raven, will you return yourself to the team?"

Raven said, "No. My time on the team ended when Robin locked me up in that cell. I will never work besides him again."

Robin said, "Raven, I'm sorry for everything. I had no idea what pain that you were through."

Raven angrily replied, "No you're not. You only want me because of my power. You don't care about me. If you did, you would have worked with me to stop Trigon. This could have been yours but you threw it away. You don't know what pain I've been through. Perhaps it's time that I showed you."

Robin was surrounded by a red-black glow as he was thrown up towards Raven.

Raven said, "Azarath metrion zinthos", and instantly a wave of red-black energy went from Raven's chakra into Robin's head. He was flooded with Raven's memories, specifically the pain. The beatings in Azarath, the branding, the seven rapes, Slade's nanoscopic probes, Terra trying to drown her, Malchior's betrayal, Adonis's beast, Slade's birthday ambush, and lastly the time in the prison cell.

Raven released Robin, who was almost completely comatose by the time she was finished loading her pain into him. Now he knew what Raven had been through, what she had suffered her entire life.

The other Titans were absolutely shocked by what Raven had just done. They were prepared to attack Raven in retaliation for what he had done.

Raven said, "You can attack me, but if you want Robin to see another day, I suggest you get him to a hospital...right about now."

Cyborg walked over to Robin and picked him up. Even though he was pissed as hell with the Bat protege, he could not let him die.

Starfire said, "So is this the last we will ever see of you, friend Raven?"

Raven said, "For now. You will see me again when I feel it prudent. When I want you to see me. And now, I take my adieu."

Raven's body was engulfed in her soul-self and vanished from the eyes of her former teammates.

* * *

It was around eight o'clock at night at the hospital. The other Titans were patiently awaiting Robin's return to consciousness, the doctor having told them that Raven's attack was a psychological one, and a damn powerful one. He would survive, but he would be a little mentally uneasy.

Robin began to wake up, a little dizzy and uneasy because of what had just transpired inside of the Tower, with Raven's mental attack. The other three Titans then walked towards Robin, intending to talk to him.

Robin said, dizzily and uncertainly, "What happened? Where am I?"

Cyborg said, "You're in the hospital. Raven delivered a very pressing attack on your mind, she wanted you to know what she felt, and now we know. You were planning on wasting her, Robin. You went way over your head with Raven. You went out of control."

Robin yelled, "What the hell are you talking about? She was dangerous, threatening the very existence of the world. She had to be removed, she lied to us, and she couldn't be trusted."

Beast Boy said, "She gave us everything, and only asked for companionship. She didn't want to be hurt, she didn't want to be alone, and you fucked that up sky high."

Starfire said, "She was more of a help to the team than we could ever have asked for, she was much more beneficial than you, and now we lost her."

Cyborg said, "We talked with the Martian Manhunter over the events that transpired. He said we were to consider removing you from the team if necessary. The Justice League took a vote of confidence."

Robin said, "It takes five votes from the Justice League's seven standing members. I doubt you got the five votes."

Beast Boy said, "The seven members voting were Superman, Green Lantern, Flash, Zatanna, Atom, Martian Manhunter, and Wonder Woman. All but Zatanna and the Atom voted in favor of removing you. We weren't surprised Zatanna voted in your favor, she hated Raven from the beginning, she felt you did the right thing. The Atom and the Flash surprised us. We expected five votes and we got five votes."

Starfire said, "And then it takes an unanimous vote of the team members to remove you. We all voted against you."

Robin yelled, "Are you fucking crazy? What the fuck are you saying?"

Cyborg said, "Robin, you're off the team. You're not welcome on the Titans again, and you have automatically been barred from entry into the Justice League. I'm sorry, Robin, but you went too far. You'll be out of the hospital tomorrow. Get your things and leave the Tower."

Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire walked out of the hospital room, leaving only an angry Robin inside, bitter that they voted to remove him from the team. He felt he didn't deserve it, but the other Titans couldn't disagree any more - he no longer deserved his place as team leader, or on the Titans for that matter.

* * *

Raven brought her backpack containing her bedroom over to her new residence on the other side of Jump City. She was never going back to the Tower, or at least not for a very long time. She got her things out and spread out, getting ready for the rest of her life. She took off her cloak and hung it up on a coat hanger, like she did every night before bed.

She stripped off her leotard and walked into the shower, wanting to freshen up to start her first night of freedom, with all that power.

She let the hot water drop on her, cleaning herself off, which she felt was so refreshing, so invigorating, just so...right.

She finished her shower and grabbed a towel, drying herself off. She made her cup of tea for the evening, welcoming its calm, refreshing taste. After setting down her cup, she dropped her towel and prepared to put her leotard back on for bed.

Suddenly, Raven got a strange idea. She chose not to put her leotard back on, she decided to spend the night in the buff. It was her life, hers to control, and hers to decide. She had a lot to try out, and a lot to do, a lot to make up for.

It truly was the beginning of the rest of her life.

* * *

**And so marks the end of Act One.**


	15. Words About Act 1 & Act 2

**Author's Notes**

Before I begin responding to individual reviews, first I want to discuss the confrontation between Raven and Robin. I know a lot of you think it was short and some of you thought it sucked. I'm not very good with writing fight scenes, well at least not yet. In addition, I wanted to quickly get to the punch of Raven renouncing her relationship with the Titans and forcing Robin to feel her pain. The other Titans didn't fight back for several reasons. (1) they knew Raven would be able to defeat them without breaking a sweat, and they would go down harshly, (2) they knew Robin's life was in danger and if they didn't act, he would die, and (3) they were having leader issues with Robin and weren't as adamantly opposed to Raven as him, so as a result, they chose not to oppose Raven's departure.

To JP-Rider, Robin definitely got what was coming to him, but this won't be the last we see of him. He will play a major role in Act 2, as you will see in the synopsis below. And he probably won't be coming in contact with Batman any time soon, if ever. If Batman were in the Watchtower when the JL voted on Robin's fate, he would have been appalled by the events. I'll leave it to your interpretation whether or not Batman would have voted for or against Robin.

To raven leveau, as I told JP-Rider, Robin got what was coming to him. I think Zatanna was mistaken in rejecting Raven - she believes Raven is pure evil, but that is not the case - it was her father's evil that condemned her to abuse. Zatanna may make an appearance sometime in the second act, but I can't tell you in what capacity.

To bloodshark, I was hoping that the plot wouldn't be too predictable. I thought it out in my head, and I certainly thought that it would be a good, refreshing plot idea. Slade is going to sit Act 2 out for the most part, but he will return in Act 3 in an unknown capacity. Raven is still trying to figure out who she is and what she is going to do. At the moment, Raven is probably not joining the Justice League nor creating a team of her own.

To RedZenin, your concerns regarding the battle were addressed above, and believe it or not, you weren't the only one with your complaints about its length. The other Titans had to figure out who they were closer to - if they went for Robin, they would have sided with Raven, if they went for Raven, they would have sided with Robin. And with Robin out of the Tower, they need to fill some spaces left by the vacancies.

To Xsnow dreamxX, I am writing act two and the synopsis will be down below. I don't feel like the ending is that sad, but in a sense hopeful, that Raven is now free to live her life. However, Robin is out there and you will soon see how that will turn out.

To mazyeyes123, I try to maintain some degree of intelligence in my writing, and I will continue.

* * *

Now, here is the synopsis for the second act of _Betrayed, Cast Off, Angry_.

_One month after the events of Act One, Raven has since left Jump City, traveling the globe in search of her path, trying to abandon her painful and brutal past, coming across some old and new faces trying to guide her. However, Robin, now removed from the Titans is hellbent on getting revenge on Raven for causing his expulsion, and now as the Claw, is intent on tracking down and murdering Raven, believing her to be the hellion she truly is._


	16. Discovery and Sales

**Author's Notes**

To JP-Rider, I don't think that Robin is Javert. While they are both obsessed with their targets - a good-hearted individual, Javert is on the side of the law while Robin is out for revenge for Raven causing his removal from the team.

Now, let's continue the story and start Act Two.

* * *

It was a relatively tame night in Banch City, a city located eighty miles southwest of Philadelphia. The city was well-known for its Chinese finger-trap factory, which ranked amongst the country's most prominent factories. However, it was relatively small, populated with only 35,000 people. It was the perfect city for Raven to hide out in for a few nights. For the past month, she has been moving around the country - from Jump City to El Paso to St. Louis to Charleston.

A month ago, after Robin was removed from the Titans, an anonymous source leaked boatloads of information about Raven to the Jump City tabloids and press. This information included Raven's heritage as the daughter of Trigon plus the secrets of her powers and how they operated. In addition, it was said that Raven was raped seven times, released a dragon, plus other embarrassing information, like that she cried herself to sleep for at least a year.

When Raven went out in public in Jump City, she was either mocked or attacked by both civilians and criminals. Robin's goal had been accomplished - he had destroyed Raven's reputation in the city. She was unable to continue in the city and was forced to flee. Raven decided to keep moving as she was trying to figure out who she was supposed to be.

Raven may not have had a lot of savings - her minimal social skills made it awfully hard for her to get a job - but she was able to get by. As a Teen Titan, Koring Tea Company (Raven's favorite tea company), gave her an endless coupon for tea, which enabled her to keep up her tea drinking. In addition, she was performing spells on contract for various residents. It paid good money and helped her explore her newfound magical abilities.

She was considering now going to Steel City, but she was unsure if she wanted to see the Titans East. She could only assume that Robin destroyed her reputation with them as well. That was a meeting she definitely was dreading. She needed some time to think. She was thinking maybe she should go visit Chu-Hui.

* * *

Back at Titans Tower, Cyborg took command of the team with Robin's removal and Raven's departure. Taking Raven's place on the team was the Australian wielder of energy constructs Argent, and also joining the team was Bushido, a Japanese samurai. The Titans had begun their recovery following the events regarding Trigon.

Someone knocked at the door of Titans Tower. Cyborg opened the door and saw the person he was requesting at the moment - Doctor Chase Mikkel, a psychologist who was profiling Raven on their request, trying to figure out why she left, why she was like the way she was.

Cyborg started off, "Hello Doctor Mikkel, have you finished the profile?"

The doctor, wearing a casual blue business suit, with blond hair and brown eyes, replied "I have Mr. Stone."

Cyborg shouted, "Yo BB, Star, Doctor Mikkel has his findings on Rae."

Beast Boy and Starfire rushed into the living room to hear the results. While they wanted to have Argent and Bushido come in to hear everything, they both sat it out, feeling that it wasn't their business knowing about Raven.

Beast Boy asked, "What's up, doc?"

Dr. Mikkel said, "Well, I analyzed everything you told me about Raven with everything I found out from the papers and the news."

Starfire asked, "So should we have been afraid of her?"

The doctor said, "Afraid of her, she was afraid of you. All of you. She was constantly afraid you would betray her, cast her off, kick her to the curb, abandon her and leave her to die. Her childhood experiences put constant pain in her - she dreaded waking up, the world was like a monster to her. When Terra betrayed the team, it almost completely validated her fears that you would betray her. And when Malchior came around, it almost completely killed any possibility of trust within her. She feared if you knew who she truly was - the daughter of Trigon, you would hurt her like she was always hurt."

Beast Boy asked, "So why was she always so sarcastic and deadpan?"

The doctor's response was, "I know that she had to suppress all emotions to keep control - if she felt anything, she could potentially destroy everything, become her father, something she hated with all her heart. Her sarcasm was part of her fear - she knew if she kept that, she could try to suppress her emotion - any laugh could potentially trigger the effects of her demonic heritage. It could also keep her facade in tact - appearing completely emotionless would cloud your suspicions of her. Keep you from kicking her out. What Raven truly needed was compassion, love, friendship. Things she never experienced in Azarath."

Cyborg said, "I can't believe it. We fucked her life, we knew she was hiding something, we shouldn't have blamed her. She never wanted to be this way. Will she ever be able to trust anyone again? Do we have a chance of reconciling with her?"

Dr. Mikkel said, "I don't think she can, I doubt she'll return to the Teen Titans."

Starfire said, "Thank you, doctor for your work."

Doctor Mikkel left the Tower, leaving the three remaining original Titans to think about what they had done.

* * *

Richard Grayson waited outside of the Church of Blood castle in Ukraine where Raven was the night she escaped from her cell. Now, he went by the alias Claw. He was wearing a tight black mask that covered his forehead, nose, and upper lip that also went to the sides of his face, ultimately leaving exposed his jaw and lower face. He also had a black armored shirt, designed to be resistant against gunfire and most edged weapons. He also had on black pants. On his belt was a knife and a Heckler & Koch Mark 23 handgun. He thought, _The wonders of the black market - cheap prices make the one man army_.

He pulled out the knife and snuck up to one of the Church members in front of the gate. Claw stabbed the guard in the back of the neck, killing him instantly.

Claw grabbed the submachine gun off of the dead Church member and slung it on his back. He pulled out the Mark 23, now fitted with a sound suppressor, and went into the castle.

He shot two guards in the throat with the Mark 23, quickly moving to avoid suspicion.

He moved through the castle quickly, dispatching the ten guards present inside without hesitation. Claw had to thank Slade for training him how to use a gun and knife to kill while he was his apprentice (back when he was Robin).

After clearing the castle, Claw went downstairs, down to where the portal was between the Earth and Trigon's realm.

Claw walked through the portal, unharmed thanks to a magic potion he stole from Raven's room while she was trapped inside the cell. He was thankful Raven didn't notice, as her potions had a spell that enabled them to regenerate their stores.

He managed to elude the fire demons, using stealth to his advantage, and the stolen submachine gun when it didn't. Thankfully, the fire demons couldn't hear physical sounds, which proved to be an asset.

Arriving in Trigon's throne room, he walked over to where the Sword of the Crucible was left after Raven used it to butcher Trigon.

Claw took the sword and stashed it away.

Claw said, "The Sword of the Crucible. A powerful weapon, capable of slaying demons. Raven, I well send you to hell for the shit you pulled."

Claw left the castle with the sword, his mission accomplished.

* * *

In her apartment in Banch City, Raven sensed Robin took the Sword of the Crucible, and realized how he did it. With this, Raven knew that Robin, or whoever he was now, was targeting her.

Raven decided to move out of Banch City, and subsequently teleported to London, England. She chose London because she had contacts in the city, demonic experts who had helped her out, later guiding her to Jump City.

Raven met up with her foremost contact in the city, Doctor Thom Delgrado.

Raven said, "Hello Doctor Delgrado. How have you been doing? Wife treating you well?"

Delgrado said, "Divorced a month ago. I could've been better. How about you? I see you're wearing red now."

Raven said, "Side effect from killing my father."

"Why are you here, Raven?"

"I'd like to make a trade. The book of Noll for a thousand pounds."

"The Book of Noll? The book of Rorek? It came into your posession."

"Yes, and the dragon Malchior is inside. He tried to con me into releasing him. He taught me a lot and almost succeeded, but I sent him back."

"Reasonable trade, you trust me enough to contain Malchior."

"As long as you don't sell him to the wrong lonely girl."

"Okay then Raven."

Raven handed Delgrado the book containing Malchior and Delgrado gave Raven a thousand pounds of currency. With this, Raven knew she could last a couple more months, and now she never had to deal with that dreaded dragon again.


	17. Hunter and Hunted

**Author's Notes**

To bloodshark, I probably will put Jericho into the story soon - he will converse with Raven, but I can't tell you about what. I also don't think Raven is going to gather a demon army - she is already trying to remove herself from Trigon's heritage, so that would be the last thing she wants to do, and she probably isn't going to look for demonic artifacts anytime soon.

To JP-Rider, the second act has begun indeed.

Okay, just to let you know, the narrative is going to change significantly. Whereas Act One alternated between reality and nightmares, Act Two is going to be more omniscient story, alternating between Raven, Claw, the Titans, and various other characters. The narrative will change again in Act Three.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

It was late at night in Jump City. The streets were almost completely empty, populated only by street lamps and darkness. That made it the perfect place for a clandestine meeting.

It was an alleyway in the city, one where a certain bad luck charm was hiding out in, her HIVE Five having split up to avoid the Titans. She had been called for a meeting with an unknown person.

Jinx patiently awaited her contact, and what assignment they had in store for her. She needed some money fast if she wanted to save herself from starvation or the cold.

At last, her contact arrived, and Jinx was surprised as to who it was - the Justice League enchantress Zatanna.

Jinx asked, "The great Zatanna Zatara. Why would you call a luck charm such as me to this dark and dangerous alley? I can kill you without hesitation."

Zatanna simply said, "ezeerF." Jinx was frozen in place, unable to use her hexes against Zatanna.

"So why the fuck am I here?"

Zatanna replied, "I have a task for you. The Justice League cannot know. This is off-the-books, off-the-record. I need you for this task."

"What is it? What is so fucking important that the League cannot know about?"

"I need you to terminate somebody. One of your enemies, who is a lot like you."

"Argent? The Aussie Goth? I barely know her, how can she be my fucking enemy?"

"No. I mean the half-demon. Raven."

"You want me to kill Raven? I can barely beat her in a battle. Why are you coming to me? Why do you want her dead?"

"She recently murdered her father - Trigon the Terrible and gained an infinite amount of his power. She is too powerful for this world. I need her removed for the world's safety. Evil runs within her. Robin came to his senses a month ago and locked her away. Unfortunately, she escaped and the Justice League called a foul on Robin's part."

"That's why he left the Titans - a vote of confidence from you guys and then the other Titans cast him away."

"I don't want his efforts to go in vain. She must be terminated, sent back to the hell she belongs in."

"What are you willing to offer me for the job?"

"A clean slate. Your records go bye-bye and you can do whatever you want."

"Where do I sign up?"

* * *

Raven walked through the streets of Paris, trying to sort out her head. She got rid of Malchior and is now trying to figure out her next course of action. Little did she know she was being watched by multiple sources.

Watching her from the skies was Jinx, who was gathering intel on her target for Zatanna. Jinx thought about what a clean slate could do. She always wanted to go to New York, but her criminal record prevented her from going anywhere in the city. She really hated the security lockdowns.

Watching her from the bottom were the Brotherhood of Evil. Brain, Monsieur Mallah, Madame Rouge, and General Immortus. They had just suffered the blow of losing their black hole generator to Beast Boy and the Doom Patrol. They now were planning on an even more dangerous operation - the elimination of the young superheroes known as the Teen Titans.

The Brotherhood was currently watching Raven, unaware of her recent events and departure of the Titans. The Brain said in the underground lair, "Ah, a young superhero. Take her down."

Monsieur Mallah was going over the results from their scans on Raven. He said, "Ill advised. She has massive stores of power and is capable of world destruction."

Brain said, "Recruit her. Send the Private."

* * *

Raven sat down at a small Parisian cafe, sipping a cup of French tea while nibbling on a croissant with jelly. She needed the sustenance after hours of wandering the city. She didn't want a big profile going out about her following the fall-out with the Titans.

Raven finished her tea and croissant before leaving the money for the bill on the table.

Before she could get too far from the cafe, she heard a motorcycle zooming.

She turned around and saw Private HIVE on the motorcycle, with a shield on his back and a UMP in his hands.

Before the Private could fire at Raven, she grabbed him in her soul-self.

HIVE was thrown off the bike as it crashed into a wall.

Raven angrily asked, "Who the hell are you?"

The private responded, "Private Jonathan McNulty. HIVE Military."

Her next question was, "Private HIVE, what are you doing so far from home?"

"The school was destroyed, ma'am. I was hired on. They asked me to recruit you."

"Who?"

"The Brotherhood of Evil."

"Not a pleasant group. Where are they?"

"I cannot tell you."

Suddenly, Private HIVE was beginning to slip into the folds of Raven's cloak, which he knew was not pleasant.

"Want to reconsider?"

* * *

Claw checked the Internet for any postings of Raven, anywhere he needed to check out. Unfortunately, she kept quite a low profile, so not even parts of her cloak or clothing appeared in any photos posted online.

"Goddammit! Where the fuck is she? My senses tell me she hasn't left the dimension or the planet. Where on Earth are you?"

He then found a photo of Raven in St. Louis, where she was performing an exorcism for a young boy.

He decided to start there, try to trace Raven's path before finding and killing her.

Claw booked a flight to St. Louis from Kiev that night. He boarded the plane using the alias, Timothy Todd, which nobody found suspicious.

While on the plane, Claw got some rest, dreaming about the torture he was intending on doing to Raven, dismembering her with the Sword of the Crucible (which he had hidden from security) before decapitating her and killing her. Revenge was so sweet for Claw.

* * *

Private HIVE consented to give Raven the location of the Brotherhood's base. After delivering HIVE to the authorities (and he was facing close to twenty years in UN prison for his actions), Raven went to confront the Brotherhood of Evil.

First, she had to face General Immortus and his ten thousand man robot army.

General Immortus commanded, "Attack, my soldiers! Kill her! She cannot stop us!"

Unfortunately for him, Raven simply chanted, "Azarath metrion zinthos." Waves of red-black energy surged from her and tore the robots apart without any difficulty. All that was left of Immortus's grand army were scattered parts.

Immortus pulled out an antique cutlass before charging at Raven.

Raven simply kicked the sword out of the general's hands before throwing him into a wall around twelve meters away.

Raven levitated over to Immortus, seeing his spine was shattered in over a dozen places and he had fractured the back of his neck. She knew the blow had killed him.

Raven continued through the base before coming on the shapeshifter Madame Rouge.

"Immortus, the pompous fool. You may have won round one, but you shall lose round two", she spoke in a very thick Russian accent.

Rouge stretched towards Raven with her arm, but Raven ducked.

Rouge stretched her other arm towards Raven, but Raven caught it.

Raven used it to spin around Madame Rouge before dropping her on the floor.

Rouge quickly returned herself to normal and stretched away from Raven, intending to lure her into a trap.

Raven followed her into the liquid nitrogen room, using her empathy to sense the Russian was right behind her.

Raven's powers quickly grabbed Madame Rouge from her hiding place, shocking her as she screamed aloud.

Raven dropped Rouge into a pit of liquid nitrogen, leaving her to scream as she quickly froze up.

Raven flew out of the room and continued into the main base for the Brotherhood of Evil. Then, she saw the giant gorilla Monsieur Mallah.

Mallah started by firing hundreds of charged bolts from his laser gun at Raven. Her shields deflected the few dozen that managed to get anywhere near her. For an evil mastermind, Mallah had terrible accuracy.

Mallah then jumped down to face the half-demon, not knowing what she had in store for him.

Her powers quickly covered his arms. Raven used them to then punch Mallah repeatedly in the head with his own arms.

She mockingly taunted, "Quit hitting yourself! Quit hitting yourself!"

Mallah screamed in anger as Raven relentlessly attacked him with his own fists.

At last, Raven's powers let go of his hands. Raven then proceeded to push Mallah into a massive pile of sharp wooden boxes filled with knives for the Brotherhood of Evil's new clientel.

Mallah was dazed and noticed he was repeatedly impaled in the back by box fragments and knives. The sheer amount of wounds created massive blood loss that killed him seconds later.

Raven turned around to see the Brain, a brain in a jar just staying there.

Raven flew up to confront the Brain.

"Hello, Brain. Why would you want to recruit me?"

The Brain responded, "Your power. Is nothing. Like I have. Ever seen. You would make. A great addition. To the Brotherhood. Of Evil. And we shall. Eliminate. The Teen Titans."

Raven thought about it for a second.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'll pass on it. And I don't want you hurting my former friends."

The Brain realized instantly that Raven was a former Teen Titan, but she still cared about them.

Raven's powers engulfed the Brain before smashing it apart, destroying it.

In a few short minutes, Raven had destroyed the entire Brotherhood of Evil. She looked at the carnage around her, impressed at the amount of power she had gotten from Trigon.

* * *

Back at Titans Tower, Beast Boy was called for a video-chat. Beast Boy accepted the chat, only to find the caller was the Doom Patrol leader, Mento.

Beast Boy asked, "Mento, why are you calling us?"

Cyborg and Starfire soon came in, followed by Bushido and Argent. They had recently rescued the Doom Patrol from the Brotherhood of Evil.

Mento said, "We have confirmed intelligence that the Brotherhood of Evil was trying to eliminate you. They believed you were a threat."

Argent asked, "Was? What do you mean? Did they give up on us?"

Mento replied, "We found the Brotherhood of Evil a few minutes ago. They're all dead. Immortus had his spine and neck broken, Rouge was frozen in liquid nitrogen, Mallah was impaled onto boxes and knives, and the Brain was smashed apart into pieces."

Cyborg asked, "Who did this? Who found and made a mockery of the Brotherhood?"

Mento said, "We also recieved intelligence that a Private HIVE was recently turned into Parisian authorities a few hours ago, before the Brotherhood was slaughtered."

Cyborg said, "Private HIVE. Head of the HIVE military training program. What was he doing in Paris today?"

"We believe he was working for the Brotherhood of Evil. He was shivering, afraid of the dark. He said he was hired to recruit a girl into the Brotherhood, and she tried to engulf him in darkness. He said she had a red cloak. Ring any bells to you?"

Beast Boy said, "Raven. She killed the entire Brotherhood of Evil. I guess she still has a piece of good in her."

"Or evil - she may have wanted to conquer the world herself. The intensity of the attack leaves us unsure of whether or not Raven is a threat. What do you know about her?"

Cyborg said, "She was a former Titan. Our former leader, Robin, imprisoned her in an inescapable cell when he found out she was the Gem of Skaath, the daughter of Trigon the Terrible. She escaped with help from our number one enemy Slade, killed Trigon, and took his power. She returned and left Robin comatose with her pain. A few hours later, we removed Robin from the team."

Mento asked, "Why remove him? Weren't his actions justified?"

Starfire said, "No, they were not. He could not deprive a person of their rights, of their existence, no matter who they are. He crossed a line, and we could not accept him on the team any more. He cost us a true friend."

Mento asked, "What should we do if we see her?"

Argent said, "Don't engage her unless absolutely necessary. I doubt she would attack you out of the blue, so avoiding her would be best."

Mento said, "Thanks. Mento out."

The screen turned to black as the other Titans were left shocked by Mento's words.


	18. Looks and Mountains

**Author's Notes**

To Blues32, this story is meant to be a bit darker than others, so characters are going to change a lot more than you expect. Zatanna has always hated Raven, and with the influence of Trigon's full power, Zatanna has reason to pursue her. *SPOILER* Zatanna knows that Jinx won't be able to kill Raven, actually, and you'll see why Zatanna used Jinx in the first place. *END SPOILER*

To JP-Rider, I wouldn't call Raven's actions as Wolverine, but she can be a one-man army, and with her father's powers inside of her, it would take a lot of firepower to bring her down, even for just a minute.

To Xxsniw dreamxX, I don't feel Raven as a badass, but more of a distant, angry soul. Her actions may be percieved that way, but I don't believe its her. When Raven confronts Jinx, which will be soon, there will be some unexpected encounters.

To bloodshark, Jinx right now is under Zatanna's employ, but when Raven finds out the truth, Jinx will begin a rapid change in alleigance (perhaps similar to those in the series with Kid Flash). Raven won't meet Claw yet, that will come towards the end of the Act.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

It was around noon in St. Louis, a city that recently underwent the biggest turnaround in recent US history, going from a collapsing metropolis to a sprawling city. Crime was at all-time lows in the city, thanks in no small part to an effective police force, which had gotten training lessons from Batman and Speedy.

Claw went incognito in the city, disguising himself as Tim Todd, a private investigator. He intended on capturing Raven's essence to prove she was there, and hopefully begin tracing her path, hellbent on finally killing her.

Claw located the family Raven had performed the exorcism for - the Rampetts.

Lou Rampett went to the door and saw Tim Todd, training a shotgun at Claw's chest. He asked, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Claw quickly responded, "I believe a criminal may have been here. I need to look around to prove it."

Lou lowered the shotgun, and let Claw in, not knowing who he really was, or who he was after.

Claw went to the bedroom of the youngest Rampett, whom Raven had performed the exorcism for, Carl.

He dusted around Carl's room, looking for trace elements of Raven's magic, which was fading away from natural decomposition.

Claw stumbled onto Carl's toy blocks, which had vast traces of Raven's magic. Claw was able to powder the block and got the essence trace.

Claw left the Rampett residence, to soon begin tracing Raven's path across the globe.

* * *

After slaughtering the Brotherhood of Evil, Raven began to suffer a stomach ache along with nausea. She spent most of the night vomiting, unable to figure out the cause of her sudden illness.

She prepared a blend of tea to help cure the stomach ache and drank it quickly. A few minutes later, Raven fell asleep by the tea's effects.

While asleep, Raven saw the cause of the stomach ache - her sudden attack on the Brotherhood made her ill from the violence involved. She had never killed a human before, and she killed two that day. That resulted in her illness.

When Raven woke up, she put her things back in her backpack and decided to pay a visit to an old friend of hers.

* * *

In the mountaintops of Nepal, Joseph Wilson - better known as Jericho, was living a peaceful life away from civilization and the violence below. His father's occupation - wetwork, as some may call it, disgusted him and following the loss of his vocal chords, moved away to Asia.

At the moment, Jericho was playing his guitar, which helped him keep calm in the stormiest of times. That was the only thing Jericho had brought with him to Nepal, gathering food from the nearby trees.

Jericho was startled when he saw Raven, especially in her red cloak. He was not expecting to see her today, but seeing as he was on the top of a mountain, he was probably not going to. Loneliness was something Jericho had gotten used to.

Raven started out by saying, "Hello, Jericho."

Jericho signed back to her, _Hello Raven. Why are you wearing red?_

Raven said, "I killed my father. Took his power away."

Jericho, slightly shocked by her last statement, signed _I don't think I could fathom the possibility of killing my father, even if he was a demon._

Raven said, "Actually, I have had some run-ins with your father. In case you haven't heard, he was sent to a fiery grave only to be brought back by my father to make me fulfill the prophecy. He helped me escape and slay Trigon, and I gave him his flesh and blood back."

Jericho signed, _So how is my father, Slade?_

"He is calculating, manipulative, and cold. He breeds in the darkness, savors the shadows, is a complete enigma. He can sway almost anybody, and he is a very tough fighter, even without demonic powers."

_That sounds a lot like my father. Even when he was a mercenary, and not a crime lord._

"Well, I think he's doing well. He said he was laying low for a while and was thinking about meeting up with some family."

_Have you heard about Rose and Grant?_

"Slade told me that Rose is the mercenary Ravager and Grant is the thief Red X. However, he doesn't want you in that path."

_Then what does he want for me?_

"He wants you to become a Titan. A Teen Titan. He wanted at least one member of his family to wind up on the side of good. He didn't want the Wilsons to go down as nothing more than criminals and killers."

_Are you sure about that, Raven?_

"Yes. He told me that he would give you his blessing if you wanted to become a Titan. He wouldn't ask you to be his spy, I know that. He has some decency in him."

_Are you a Teen Titan?_

"I was. I quit."

_Why?_

"Some creative differences. When the original leader, Robin, found out the truth, he locked me away to die. After your father saved me, I later confronted him and left. The other Titans subsequently removed Robin. I don't know where he is now, or what he's doing, but I doubt it's good."

_While you're here, Raven. Do you want some tea?_

"That would sound excellent."

Jericho prepared two cups of tea - one for him and one for Raven. Raven knew that Jericho always had a taste for tea. In fact, Jericho had introduced Raven to some of her favorite flavors of tea while she was with him. Before she met the Titans, she was with Jericho to get some exercises in meditation and relaxation. She had infinite thanks to Jericho for preventing the world's premature destruction.

After enjoying the cup of tea and two local fruits, Raven departed from Jericho's mountaintop retreat, feeling better and calmer, once again reminded of the way of peace.

* * *

Raven was calmly walking through the streets of Barcelona, Spain. She was in Spain to visit an antiquities trader, who she had given the Rings of Azar for safe keeping, unable to trust them in the wrong hands.

After acquiring the rings, she went to a nice Spanish cafe for dinner.

Little did Raven realize was she was being watched through a high-tech scope from over two kilometers away.

The watcher, Jinx, thought _Gizmo sure knows how to rig up surveillance equipment. I'm looking at Raven from over a mile away and she doesn't even realize it. In a few days, I will finish off the half-demon and get my clean slate_.

* * *

At Titans Tower, Bushido and Cyborg were playing a game of chess. The two were equally intelligent, but they were completely different players. Bushido was more reckless, willing to go for kamikaze play while Cyborg was more cautious and controlled.

Those differences clearly showed as Cyborg quickly knocked away Bushido's valuable pieces and began taking control of the board.

Starfire and Argent soon walked into the main room, having recently gotten back from a spa appointment at the "mall of shopping", as Starfire put it.

Soon, they got an urgent message from the Justice League Watchtower. Cyborg answered the call, and found it was Doctor Fate.

Cyborg asked, "Doctor Fate? Why are you calling? What's so urgent?"

Fate responded, "I just got a vision. It involves the two former Titans."

Beast Boy added, "Robin and Raven? What is it?"

Fate said, "I saw Robin was attacking innocent people. I also saw there was somebody with a Justice League card attacking Raven. But that's not all. I also saw Raven being divided between two allies."

Argent asks, "That's all great and all, doctor. But what does it bloody mean?"

Fate said, "From what I can tell, it looks like Robin and someone else in the Justice League are rogue, and Raven will have to choose sides in what will become a massive global conflict."

Starfire asks, "Do you know when this conflict will take place?"

Fate replied, "I can only get visions, the information. I do not know dates or times. That is what you will have to figure out, Titans. You need to make sure you can get Raven to your side when this conflict comes. Fate out."

The screen turned to black as the Titans began to think.

Cyborg asked, "What conflict would be coming up? Would it between us and the Justice League?"

Starfire said, "It could be between the Infernal Provinces and Earth."

Beast Boy nervously said, "Or between us and Slade."

The other Titans were in shock at BB's words, realizing that Slade may have a hand in what will soon come.


	19. Bad Luck Cat

**Author's Notes**

To JP-Rider, you'll see in this chapter what happens to Jinx. It will be one hell of a fight, I assure you that.

To bloodshark, like I said to JP-Rider, things will tailspin for Jinx in this chapter. She'll find out why Zatanna hired her and will soon encounter some tough decisions.

To Xxsnow dreamxX, Fate's vision is indeed foreshadowing of events to come. The visions of the rogue Robin/Crow and the corrupt Leaguer will both have meaning in this act. Fate's vision about Raven's decision will come into play towards the end of Act 3.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

Raven was currently headed down the streets of Hamburg, Germany. She decided to continue her European world tour until she could finally figure out herself.

It was around four in the afternoon there, so Raven was just cruising down the city before dinner time. She had to admit some of the attractions in the city were mildly amusing, but they did nothing to distract her mental conflict.

Jinx was watching Raven a lot closer than she had been in the last few days - now she was around a hundred meters away from her target, and little did either of them know Zatanna was in the city as well, overlooking the square where the two mistresses of destruction were.

Zatanna spoke into her radio, which was linked to a comm unit in Jinx's ear. "Jinx, take out Raven. Now."

Jinx listened to Zatanna and began speeding up towards Raven, who began to take notice someone was following her.

She levitated off the ground, intending to gain some distance between herself and her pursuer.

However, Jinx fired a hexbolt that caused the bricks of a nearby building to crash onto Raven.

Fortunately, Raven created a shield of soul-self that blocked the bricks from hitting her. Raven turned around to see the pinkette, with some hex energy right in her hands.

Raven deadpanned, "Jinx, what an unpleasant surprise to see you."

Jinx replied, "Same thing, Raven. How's life outside the tower treating you?"

"Alright. Don't you have a group of teenage brats to be babysitting back in Jump?"

"No. They fucking abandoned me, so now I am doing some contract work."

"For who?"

"Do I have a fucking reason to tell you who? All I can tell you, is goodbye."

Jinx charged another hextbolt at the half-demon, preparing to complete her contract.

However, Raven's soul-self grabbed a nearby lamp post and swung it at Jinx. The pole collided with the hexbolt, blocking it before it could impact.

Jinx began throwing out hexbolts as fast as she could, eagerly trying to score an impact on her target.

Raven had no trouble blocking each hexbolt as it tried to impact her. She began discharging energy blasts at Jinx, intending to blast away the bad luck charm.

Jinx's acrobatic ability proved most useful, as she dodged all of Raven's attacks with surprising finesse.

Raven managed to get lucky and her soul-self grabbed onto Jinx's leg.

Raven swung her into two lamp posts before letting her go.

Jinx responded with a hexbolt aimed right at Raven's heart.

Raven's soul-self blocked the hexbolt and it impacted onto another lamp post, destroying it. The last thing the two were thinking about right now was how many new lamp posts Hamburg needed to get.

Jinx was struggling to get up, her legs having become very stiff and her arms fatigued from the hexbolt throwing. Jinx noticed she had coughed out some blood, which was not a good sign.

Raven was walking away from Jinx when she sensed another person coming - a woman with magic powers and a violent attitude.

She quickly rushed over to Jinx and took the pinkette by the shoulders.

Raven said, "Trust me. Azarath metrion zinthos."

With that, Raven and Jinx phased through the streets.

Zatanna arrived at the scene just seconds after the two departed, furious that she missed Raven.

* * *

Back at Raven's flat in Hamburg, Raven healed Jinx's injuries (they were enemies, but she didn't want the pinkette to die). She also put on Jinx's right hand a temporary power suppressor, a form of clip that when worn neutralizes any metahuman traits. Jinx was basically powerless at the moment, which Raven thought was a good thing.

Jinx began to awaken in Raven's bed, uncertain as to where she was or why. The last thing she remembered was phasing through the streets of Hamburg.

Jinx was startled to see Raven, in her red cloak, and tried to fire a hexbolt at her. However, no hexbolt came out of her hands, which Jinx was very disappointed with. She turned her head to see the power suppressor.

Raven said, "The temporary power supressor. Anyone can put it on, but only a Titan can take it off, so that will be staying on for a bit."

Jinx said, "So this is your room I take it. How do you move your things so fast?"

Raven replied, "I have a spell that allows me to pack my things away in a backpack, so when I travel, I need not fear someone coming in and messing with it."

Raven continued, "Let's get down to business. Who hired you to kill me?"

Jinx paused, uncertain of what to say. She then said, "The Justice League."

Raven was shocked by what Jinx said - surely the heroic Justice League could not place a contract on a human life. However, there were some members of the League she wouldn't put it past.

Raven asked another question. "Who from the Justice League approached you?"

Jinx said, "Zatanna Zatara."

Raven said, "So the Justice League doesn't have a contract on me. Only she does."

"What's your problem with Zatanna?"

"When I first came to Earth, I knew I would have to deal with my father, so I went to the Justice League for help. Zatanna examined me and sensed my father's evil within me. She said it was that I was evil and attacked me on the spot. I barely escaped with my life. I spent a few months roaming the Earth trying to avoid them until I came to Jump City and met the others, founding the Titans."

"She told me that you were a threat because of your father's power. Is that true?"

"I am more powerful and dangerous, but not a threat to existence. I could easily kick your ass any day of the week."

"So, I don't think Zatanna knew that when she hired me."

"She did know that - she knew you wouldn't survive a fight with me. If her plan worked perfectly, I would kill you, Zatanna would come and kill me, getting rid of me and her only witness to the truth."

"Damn. Guess I'm not getting a clean slate after all."

"Even if that was possible, Zatanna never intended on giving it to you. And now you're in danger from her. Zatanna is now going to try to eliminate us because we know of her corruption."

"Where am I supposed to go? The Justice League has near-global jurisdiction?"

"There are a few countries that don't have it, but I wouldn't put you there. Your best bet would be Jump, in Titans Tower."

"I don't know about it. What will they say?"

"Trust me, Jinx. Batman's orders keep the League out of Jump, so you'll be safe from Zatanna there."

"It's going to take some _persuasion_ to get me to go to Jump. You know what I mean."

"You're fucking kidding? Aren't you? You want me to fuck you?"

"That's exactly what I mean."

Raven hung up her red cloak on a coat hanger and took off her boots, leaving her only in her leotard.

Jinx took off her boots with ease. She slipped out of her tube socks and was left in just her low-cut dress.

A red-black glow soon surrounded the leotard and the dress, and both articles of clothing flew off the girls.

Now both au natural, the two girls began to kiss before preparing for the Jinx-mandated sex.

* * *

After the nearly two-hour sex, both girls showered before putting their clothing back on. Raven then teleported Jinx over to Titans Tower, where it was currently nine in the morning over there.

The Titans were just getting back from a fight with Overload, who had been given much more technical powers than before, almost infecting Cyborg with his abilities before the Titans could flood it with water.

The five Titans walked into the main room to see Raven and Jinx standing there.

Bushido pointed his sword at the two girls, but Cyborg had him lower it.

Cyborg asked, "Raven? What are you doing here? And why are you with Jinx?"

Raven said, "I need you guys to keep Jinx here for a while."

Argent asked, "Why? In prison? To protect the city from her?"

Raven said, "No. I need you to protect Jinx."

Beast Boy threw into the conversation, "Why the hell would we protect one of the HIVE? They tried to evict us from our own tower. And she was their leader."

Raven replied, "Because Zatanna gave Jinx a contract to kill me. And when Jinx told me, she told me the truth."

Starfire asked, "Why would Zatanna do such a thing?"

Raven replied, "Zatanna has been trying to destroy me ever since I got here. To Earth. She used my new-found strength as a justification to want me dead. And she hired Jinx so I would kill Jinx and Zatanna would kill me."

Bushido asked, "Then why not go to the Justice League?"

Raven said, "Zatanna is one of the Founders. I can't go to them. Not yet. Not until I have proof that Zatanna did put the contract on me. And if I go too early, Zatanna will gain support from the League. I need to catch her red-handed."

Cyborg suddenly realized something big. He said, "Shit. Fate said he had a vision last night about a rogue Leaguer. Zatanna."

Beast Boy added, "So now we can't trust Zatanna at all. We have to keep Jinx here. But how will we keep her from escaping?"

Raven pointed out the power suppressor on Jinx's right hand. "Simple. The power suppressor will keep her powers at bay. It takes a Titan to open it. So only as a last resort."

Starfire then rushed up to hug Raven. "Oh friend Raven, how have I missed you so. It has been a long month since we changed."

Raven returned the hug and said, "It certainly has been. Robin destroyed my reputation in the city and now I'm trying to figure out my path."

Argent said, "I take it returning to the Titans isn't one of your options at this point."

"It isn't, Argent. Are you guys thinking of recruiting new Titans?"

Cyborg said, "Yes. We probably are, especially after we learned about the Brotherhood's plans before you killed them."

Raven said, "I wasn't going to let them slide free. They weren't going to harm you guys, I made sure of it. You need to build your strength. Trust me."

Beast Boy said, "Anybody you want us to recruit?"

Raven said, "In the mountaintops of Nepal. Jericho. He can't speak but he can possess a body. Anyway, goodbye for now guys. Cyborg, BB, Star, Argent, and Bushido."

Raven turned into a large red-black raven and then flew out of the Tower.

* * *

In Monterrey, Mexico, Professor Lucien Chang was working at his laboratory, experimenting with some new creations. He thought, _Maybe with these I can best those pathetic Titans and claim the city_.

A second later, somebody broke into Chang's lab - Claw.

Claw said, "Hello Professor. How is the black market going for you?"

Chang said, nervously, "Unfortunately poor. I haven't gotten any payments in over nine months. Not since Blood hired me for that surgery."

Claw said, "I've got a service for you to do."

Chang asked, "What is it?"

Claw threw Chang the powdered essence of Raven.

"The powdered essence of the former Titan Raven. Put it into a tracker and give it to me."

"Why are you looking for Raven?"

"Revenge. She booted me from the Titans and now I want her blood."

"Robin, why should I assist you? You put me in prison and stole my xenothium reserves."

Claw reveals a detonator in hand.

"If you don't, I detonate explosives I planted beneath the fuel rooms. Your lab goes boom. And I know you're a coward."

"Alright! I'll do it. I need a few hours to prepare the tracker."

"Good professor. I'll be back for the tracker, and maybe some money for you."

Claw left Chang's laboratory, intending on coming back for the tracker.

* * *

At her Justice League safehouse in Lagos, Nigeria, Zatanna was thinking about her failure to eliminate Raven that day. She knew that Raven was smart and could sense anybody coming. A sneak attack was out of the question. She needed to find a way to block Raven's empathy, so someone could sneak up to her and kill her.

And she needed somebody else to do her dirty work - Jinx was now in Titan custody, but the League was still uninformed of Zatanna's treachery. And Zatanna would ensure it stayed that way.


	20. Red as Roses and Blood

**Author's Notes**

To bloodshark, I'm still working on my writing and I wasn't too keen on getting explicit, so I chose not to have a yuri in the previous chapter. Jinx and Raven are probably not going to have a romance - you'll see by the end of Act 2. You'll also see what happens when Raven and Claw meet at the end of Act 2. Raven is probably not going to the Justice League for a few chapters, not until her confrontation with Zatanna.

To current readers, I have just started college, so my schedule is going to be more crowded. Like I said a while ago, you can't expect me to update the story every day. Still, I will try to update as frequently as I can, until the story is completed.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

Professor Chang had finished the tracker for Claw, having put in Raven's essence into the machine so Claw could track her movements down.

Chang handed Claw the tracker and Claw handed him a briefcase, which Chang was hoping had money inside. How Chang needed the money, maybe he could use it to upgrade his lab.

Claw walked out of the laboratory with the tracker in hand. After getting a few meters away from the lab, Claw pulled out a detonator, similar to that he threatened on Chang the night before.

Claw pressed the trigger, and the explosive mines he planted in the briefcase detonated instantly. The lab was claimed in a burst of fire, which quickly claimed the mad scientist's life.

Claw threw away the detonator and activated the tracker, hoping to get a definitive location on the half-demon that ruined his life. The tracker, while incredibly high-tech, could only get records of a person's location from a few days ago.

The tracker gave Claw a location - London, England. That is where his search for Raven would begin.

* * *

Raven was currently in Tanzania, having been called there by an unknown contact, claiming to have a mutual acquaintance. She was asked to meet this person at an estate on Lake Tanganyika.

Raven had to admit that the place was very extravagant, at least three stories tall and was certainly fortified, with machine guns, mines, and barbed wire around the place.

Raven knocked on the front door and was let in. Raven levitated herself to the gym, as told by the unknown messenger.

In the gym, which had a lot of mats but little equipment - most of it was stored away, that was until the house's owner was present and able to use it.

Raven saw her messenger right behind her in a mirror. She had very white hair, a regular if slightly pale skin tone, a black T-shirt, a scarf, black combat pants and boots, and a partial mask that covered her right eye. She was also holding a katana with a belt with all sorts of goodies.

Raven asked, "Okay, who are you?"

The girl said, "First let's test our combat. Then we talk."

"Any rules I should know about? For our sparring match?"

"You don't use your magic. I won't use my weapons. Even match."

"You're on, whoever you are."

The unknown girl removed her belt and put away her katana, getting ready for hand-to-hand combat with Raven.

Raven set her feet on the ground and put her hands in a defensive position.

The girl ran up towards Raven. Raven tried to punch her in the head. The girl blocked Raven's punch with ease and responded with a slash towards Raven's throat. Raven grabbed the girl's hand before she could hit her.

Raven performed a backflip and gained some distance from her opponent. She performed a roundhouse kick towards her opponent, but Raven's kick was blocked with a downward block. Raven was soon faced with a block kick aimed at her chin.

Raven turned away from the attack and soon grabbed the girl's leg. Raven flipped the girl onto her back onto the ground. However, the girl then twisted Raven's wrist and caused Raven to fall on her back as well.

Raven had to admit the two were equally matched in hand-to-hand combat. She had no clue how the fight would go if it was anything goes.

The girl demanded, "Yield."

Raven responded, "Never."

The girl then tried to put Raven's neck in a scissors hold with her legs. However, Raven was able to flip away from the girl and soon pounced on her, with Raven soon right on top.

Raven asked, "Yield?"

The girl defiantly cried, "No way, Rae."

The girl pushed Raven off of her, stumbling Raven away. Raven and the girl quickly got back onto their feet, ready to continue their hand-to-hand fight.

The fight pretty much continued similarly - Raven and the girl throwing attacks that got blocked by the other. It would take a while for one to definitively triumph over the other.

After thirty minutes, an alarm beeped. They both knew that their spar was over. And the two both were thankful for that - the fight had tired them out, much more than they expected.

Raven asked, "So now can we talk?"

The girl said, "Of course. My name is Rose."

Raven realized who the girl was. Raven replied, "Rose, you're Ravager. You're Slade's daughter. I can't believe it."

Rose took off her mask, revealing one light blue left eye and an eyepatch over her right.

"Somedays I can't believe it either, but it's the truth. We are so much alike."

* * *

The two exited the gym and took a short shower afterwards, washing off their sweaty bodies from the intense sparring.

Raven put on another cloak and leotard while Rose put on another uniform but no mask.

The two went to the kitchen and proceeded to have some raspberry tea and biscuits.

Raven asked, "So what happened to your eye, Rose?"

Rose replied, "It happened while I was at the HIVE. Five years ago. It was sword training class, and I proved to be the top swordsman there. Headmaster Blood did not take too kindly to that, and after a long fight, Blood stabbed me in the eye. My regenerative abilities managed to keep me from dying, but they couldn't return the eye. Like father, like daughter. Eyepatch over the right fucking eye."

Raven added, "Slade has an eyepatch? How'd he lose his eye? He always wears that mask, so I've never seen his face before. The fact half of his mask is all black makes me think he doesn't have an eye there."

Rose said, "It happened after Joey lost his vocal chords. My mother was infuriated with my father and she shot him. He lost his eye then, and wore the mask ever since. I haven't seen my mother in years. However, I saw my dad a week ago. He told me about what he's been doing, about you and the Titans."

Raven said, "He told you about the girl that saved his life. Brought him from the dead, gave him his flesh and blood back."

Rose said, "Yes. He told me all about you. He was very impressed with you, Raven. It's like he thinks of you as a daughter. And now I am starting to think of you like a sister. I was always close with my father, how about with you?"

Raven replied, "I was never close with my father. I guess it's hard to become close to him when he is an other-worldly demon."

Rose added, "Trigon the Terrible. As a Titan, you thought my dad was horrible. Now I know your dad was the worst one ever."

Raven stated, "Agreed. Amen to that, to the riddance of Trigon."

The two clicked their tea glasses and took a sip.

* * *

Back at Titans Tower, Jinx was getting used to her stay there. Zatanna couldn't reach her, nor could the HIVE Five, who were getting kind of pissed off that she has been gone for so long. They began to think she abandoned them, which was in a sense, true.

Jinx stayed in one of the guest rooms at the Tower. With the power suppressor on her wrist, she wasn't much of a threat to the Titans as they continued their crime fighting, facing in one day Mad Mod, Johnny Rancid, and the Puppet King.

The Titans got back from their fight with the Puppet King, and with them was Kid Flash, who was staying to do some filing with Cyborg, which had become more common after Robin was removed from the team.

Jinx went into the living room, intending on getting some coffee when she saw Kid Flash. Instantly, she was smitten.

Kid Flash asked, "Hey cutie, what are you doing here?"

Beast Boy said, "Flash, that's Jinx. Former HIVE Five leader and bad luck charm. She's here because we're protecting her at Raven's request."

Kid Flash replied, "From who?"

Starfire somberly stated, "Zatanna."

Kid Flash could not believe what he was hearing. He was raised to trust in Zatanna - the Flash was one of Zatanna's partners in the League, they always voted together.

Cyborg said, "Well, looks like things took a bit of a dive between your mentor and Zatanna. The two cast dissenting votes in the vote of confidence that removed Robin."

Kid Flash then zoomed over to Jinx, who had just finished her cup of coffee. She was now energized for a conversation with the world's fastest kid.

Jinx asked, "Who are you?"

"The name's Kid Flash. Nothing can outrun me."

"Well, you're certainly attractive, I give you that. Maybe, I don't know, do you want to get some ice cream?"

Kid Flash replied, "Sure, beautiful."

Jinx began to blush before realizing it. She forcibly jerked herself away from Kid Flash before returning to her quarters.

* * *

Zatanna furiously typed away at her computer, having found a mercenary able and wanting to eliminate Raven.

She typed in, "_Do you accept this job or not? Decide now. You only get one chance to take down the red bitch - you fail and you will wind up dead."_

The response she got from the mercenary, username SexyThief24, was "_I accept Zatanna. When I take her down, you better have my xenothium. Anything less and you deal with me._"

Zatanna closed the chat, more confident in the new mercenary. She knew Jinx was no match for Raven, their skills being similar, but this one could give her a chance to eliminate Raven.

* * *

It was late at night in London, at Doctor Delgado's small shop and classroom. Delgado taught and sold magical artifacts to make a living. Little did he know was that one of those artifacts would shape the night for him.

Claw walked into the shop, looking for Doctor Delgado. He first yelled out, "You Doctor Delgado?"

The doctor, instantly nervous asked, "Yes? Who are you? What are you doing in my store?"

"The name's Claw. Have you seen this girl here lately?"

Claw threw Delgado a picture of Raven. Delgado nervously looked at Claw's belt, which had the Mark 23 handgun on it plus the Sword of the Crucible, two other knives, and some grenades.

"Yes. She was here a few days ago. She traded a book for a thousand pounds."

"What was the book?"

"The Book of Noll."

Claw knew that book - it was the book in which Raven trapped Malchior in almost a year prior. He pulled the Mark 23 out of the holster and aimed it at Delgado.

"Give me the book, now."

"You'll just kill me when I give it to you."

"You know what, you're right."

With that, Claw shot Delgado twice in the throat. The doctor collapsed dead within mere seconds of impact. Claw walked into the back room and found the Book of Noll.

Claw opened up the book and saw the picture of Malchior.

"Is someone here to talk to me?", Malchior said.

"Yes", Claw replied.

"Ah, Robin. How are things? How is my dear Raven?"

"It's Claw now, Malchior. And I have an offer for you. If I set you free, will you kill Raven?"

"Anything to kill that bitch. Just tell me where and I'll take care of her."


	21. Dragons and Xs

**Author's Notes**

To bloodshark, you'll see what happens to Red X next chapter - you'll see him then, and he will be surprised that Raven knows his secret identity. You'll also see soon what becomes of Malchior.

To JP-Rider, Robin (or Claw now) has definitely gone on a dark path. He isn't paranoid but definitely obsessive and angry, certainly seeking revenge on Raven.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

Raven was currently taking refuge in a forest in the Swiss Alps. She had gotten back from her little excursion in Tanzania and was now just lying on the ground, looking at the sky.

Raven quietly thought, _I have to admit, I have missed these long quiet periods alone in the woods. It clears my head and freshens my system._

Raven brought a small salad, a sandwich, and a thermos of tea with her, which was a picnic for her. Her last picnic was when Cyborg's battery failed. She thought about how that was the day Starfire began drinking mustard and Beast Boy tried to get her to eat tofu dogs. Ever since, BB left her alone about it - something she was thankful for.

Raven began drinking some of her tea while eating the salad. She took her time eating it - she had nowhere to be right about now.

After finishing her salad and sandwich, Raven decided to continue walking through the forest. She felt it was relaxing to her - she rarely could go through the woods. Robin mandated that if a Titan was to go into the woods, they weren't to go alone. Raven thought, _What a fucking hypocrite_.

Suddenly, a burst of fire cut off Raven before she could continue through the woods. She turned her head only to notice a creature she wished she never had met - the dragon Malchior.

Malchior said, "Oh, Raven. I cannot believe we met again. I have dreamed of seeing you again. And how I have dreamed of destroying you. My favorite was chaining you up, disemboweling you, and burning you to a crisp."

Raven remembered what Malchior was saying - it was one of her nightmares, one that happened the first night she was in that cell.

Raven replied, "Malchior, the experience is so fucking unpleasant to see you again. I was starting to think I'd never have to see that ugly-ass face of yours ever again."

"And when I get my way, you never will. You'll never see anything again. I will kill you."

"I am a lot stronger than last time. I doubt you would be a match for me."

"Let's put that to the test my dear."

Malchior ignited a large ball of flame towards Raven. However, Raven created a soul-self shield that deflected Malchior's fire, not wavering in the face of the attack.

Raven responded by pushing the shield towards Malchior, and Malchior could not oppose the blast as it crashed into him. He was pushed back, shocked at the strength of her attack.

Raven levitated up towards Malchior, beginning to fire black energy towards the dread dragon. Malchior tried to block Raven's attacks, but she had more demonic power on her side. Malchior's magic had some strength, but was nothing compared to Raven.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Malchior?", Raven yelled as she threw more black energy at Malchior, causing some of his scales to peel off.

"I was freed on the condition I destroy you. Apparently they had a vendetta with you", Malchior calmly stated.

"Who?", Raven yelled.

"Claw. He took the Book of Noll from the man you sold it to. What was his name? Oh yes, Delgado. And don't expect to speak to him again."

"You fucking murdered him!"

Raven threw an enormous fist of black energy at Malchior, smashing him into the ground.

"No. Claw did to spring me. He had a vast knowledge of your magic, something I was surprised about."

"Who is Claw?"

"I'll never tell. My proverbial lips are sealed."

Raven was infuriated - Malchior would not tell her who Claw was. Who tried to kill her - the third attempt on her life in a few days.

In pure rage, Raven yelled one of Malchior's spells, "Payrek eschem louvesce", which proceeded to unleash three bolts of black lightning into Malchior's chest. Mere seconds later, Malchior's dragon heart stopped beating.

Raven flew back to her bag and picked it up before teleporting away.

* * *

At Titans Tower, Jinx and Kid Flash were striking up a conversation in the main ops room while the other Titans were fighting XL Terrestrial and the Wrestling Star.

Jinx asked, "How fast can you go?"

The speedster responded, "Speed of sound. What exactly do your powers do?"

"They affect the way something normally functions - how it works becomes how it fails. Why'd you pick the path to good?"

"Figure there weren't too many evil applications of my speed. Plus I am a good samaritan at heart. Why did you pick evil?"

"Look at me. I don't scream good. It was never an option for me. My powers are only destructive, not good."

"I'm sure there is something in there that has a heart for other people. I know it. In my heart and my brain."

Jinx and Kid Flash then got into a very tight embrace, that lasted for more than a few moments.

When the two let go of their embrace, the other Titans got back from their fight.

Cyborg asked, "So how is the young couple doing?"

Kid Flash said, "Good. Well, good for a first date between a criminal and a superhero."

Starfire added, "Oh that is so wonderful. Maybe you will be the team's first couple."

Beast Boy said, "That would be hard to believe, but it's true. Raven left the team, Terra's in stone. There go my love interests, and Robin was removed, that takes care of Starfire, and Bumblebee is on the fritz with Cyborg."

Jinx asked, "So Kid, do you want to go out on a date soon?"

Kid Flash replied, "Sure. Friday night, Sweet Dreams Parlor."

Jinx sweetly added, "It's a date."

* * *

Claw was watching the news in London inside his hotel room when he saw that Raven had killed Malchior.

Now, he was wanted for homicide in London and he was no closer in killing Raven than before. He never realized that Malchior had nowhere near the strength he had believed when he attacked the Titans.

Claw checked the tracker, tracing Raven through Paris, where the Brotherhood of Evil had been slaughtered a few days earlier. He also knew Raven had been in Hamburg when Jinx had attacked her.

Claw was going through the mail, using a satellite in an attempt to get fixations on what messages Raven had received. Maybe he could get a location and find where Raven has been, maybe get ahead of the tracker.

Suddenly, Claw found the message Ravager sent Raven. He knew he had to go to Tanzania.

Unfortunately, Tanzania was in the middle of a civil war - Raven had been lucky since the lake house where she met with Rose was not anywhere near the fighting. There were no flights in between England or anywhere from Europe to Tanzania. Claw would have to get to Africa without a direct flight.

So, Claw boarded a one-way flight from London to Sofia - the first flight he could get on. It would be a long road ahead to Tanzania.

* * *

At her safehouse in Nigeria, Zatanna was just about to meet with the mercenary she had hired to eliminate Raven.

Walking in through the door was Grant Wilson, aka Red X. Zatanna welcomed in Red X to the safehouse.

Red X asked, "Why'd you pick me to eliminate the bitch? You had bigger, stronger, more powerful people."

Zatanna replied, "I know that. Boy, for an egotistical criminal, you sure are self-conscious. I need you because you can elude Raven's empathy. You can sneak up on her and take her down. Robin designed the Red X suit, Grant. He designed it to defeat Raven. And you are twice as competent as he in that."

Red X said, "Thanks. So when will I get the xenothium?"

Zatanna said, "Right after Raven's heart stops beating. I want her dead. Find her."

"With pleasure."

With that, Red X teleported from the safehouse, leaving Zatanna alone, waiting for the fight between Red X and Raven.

Suddenly, Zatanna got a voice message from the Justice League. They wanted to make contact with her, since she vanished a few days ago.

Zatanna accepted the call and on the line was the Atom.

Zatanna asked, "Why are you calling, Ray?"

The Atom responded, "I needed to make sure you were alive, Zatanna. You were in Hamburg two days ago, when Raven was fighting Jinx. You were approaching the scene when the two vanished."

Zatanna asked, "A strange coincidence. Nothing more."

The Atom stated, "You know I don't believe in coincidence. Jinx has since been moved to Titans Tower in Jump City. The Titans are saying it is for security reasons, and Batman's orders keep us out of the city. That isn't a coincidence. What are you hiding, Zee?"

Zatanna asked, "None of your business."

"I have a feeling you are feeling alienated after the vote of confidence on Robin. You are hiding out, plotting something. I know you are up to something, I know you are hiding something. I will find out."

"If I tell you, would you accept it?"

"I can't tell you. I honestly don't know."

"If you accept, you'll meet me in Nigeria tomorrow morning. If not, you won't come. But if you don't show, don't expect to find me here tomorrow night. And there is no backing down from whatever will come your way."

"We'll see tomorrow where my allegiances lie - with the rest of the League or with you."

With that, the Atom closed the video chat. Zatanna was getting nervous - the League was beginning to doubt her, question her. She needed Raven dead or she could try to prove the magician's treachery.


	22. A Loss of Wilsons

**Author's Notes**

To JP-Rider, I don't know who BB is going to hook up with. Star and Argent aren't looking for love right now, and if they were, BB wouldn't fit the description.

To bloodshark, you'll see where Raven and Claw's confrontation comes in a little bit - I need to build some more things up before the end of the act. And this chapter will ultimately see the fight between Raven and Red X.

To the guest reviewer, Red X is a mercenary. He has no ties to family or country, just to the highest bidder, so I doubt Slade would convince Red X to not kill Raven.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

Raven woke up in her small apartment in Vienna, Austria. She was sleeping a little less easily than she had been in the past few days. Why? Because she now had to deal with Zatanna and Claw both trying to kill her. She may have had a lot of power, but she knew they both knew what they were doing. Her power could not be enough - they could get a lucky hit on her and banish her to her father's realm, where she would be cast to the most torturesome realm in hell.

She took a little shower before putting back on her leotard and red cloak. After a cup of her favorite herbal tea, she went out to Vienna, intending on getting some more thinking time through.

Little did she realize was that Red X was watching her every move, following her. Red X had a contract with Zatanna and he fully intended on fulfilling it. He desperately needed the xenothium to continue powering the suit. At its current rate of decay, he would be dead within a few weeks.

Red X pulled out from his belt what appeared to be a heavily customized Remington 700 AICS sniper rifle. This rifle was customized not to shoot but to track. Red X aimed the scope at Raven and then he pressed the trigger. Instantly, he got a biological lock on Raven.

Red X thought, _Bird boy definitely built the right shit for this suit. If we weren't fucking enemies, I'd owe him big time_.

Red X continued to follow Raven until she reached a large opera house in the middle of the city. Red X pulled out what appeared to be a pen and clicked it. It was actually a sort-of jammer, which enabled him to remain invisible to Raven's empathy. He continued to get closer to the violet demonling while she didn't notice.

Red X pulled out of the belt a customized Steyr GB, which was designed to deliver a massive distracting shock. A weapon designed to defeat Cyborg, it would certainly leave Raven staggering around for a few hours - more than enough time to kill her.

Red X took aim at Raven and fired the GB. However, while Raven's empathy may not have detected Red X, her hearing detected the projectile. She quickly swished far to the left of the projectile, which impacted into a lamp post.

Raven turned around and saw her opponent. She stated, "Hello, Grant."

Red X was startled that Raven knew his true name. "How the fuck did you find it out? Bird boy?"

"Your dad. He told me who you are. And you're the last of Slade's children I have met. Why are you here?"

"Got a contract. Your life for a lifetime supply of xenothium."

"Would this contract be from Zatanna Zatara?" Raven asked. Raven could not help but wonder why nobody was watching them. It must have been time for church for most of Vienna. If so, they would be shocked if they knew English.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you can be a real fucking know-it-all?"

"No, but I certainly like being one."

Raven threw two blasts of black energy at Red X. Red X avoided one such blast but was instantly hit by the other, causing him to stumble in confusion.

Red X threw away the GB, knowing that it would be useless on Raven. He grabbed the Walther P88, customized to fire a radiation round (and designed against Starfire) and began firing at Raven.

The P88 was definitely quieter than the GB, but Raven could see the rounds easily and flew away as they harmlessly impacted the opera house.

Raven's black energy grabbed the P88 and threw it into a nearby river. Red X was soon surrounded by similar black energy and tossed into another lamp post. Raven could not help but notice how a lot of lamp posts were going to be destroyed - much like in Hamburg when she fought Jinx.

Red X grabbed a SIG-Sauer P220 with toxic rounds designed against Beast Boy and aimed at Raven. X couldn't be more obvious as Raven saw the weapon, grabbed it in her energy and ripped it apart in seconds.

Red X charged at Raven, eluding her dark energy blasts but unable to retaliate as his weapons were proving increasingly ineffective. He pulled out the last resort weapon, the one designed against Raven - a Beretta Px4 Storm with concentrated nitrogen rounds.

He fired three silent, invisible rounds at Raven and impacted her left elbow, lower abdomen, and right hip. He waited for the rounds to explode and finish off the demonling.

However, the rounds popped out and the damage they dealt was promptly healed by Raven - it was as if the rounds never impacted.

Red X shouted, "Impossible. Robin designed it to stop you."

Raven responded, "After Robin locked the suit away, the other Titans and I found it and weakened the anarments. We didn't want him using it again and to beat us."

Red X realized he was in trouble as he was once again surrounded by black energy. Raven quickly removed X's mask revealing Grant Wilson - with brown hair and brown eyes.

Zatanna, however, was watching the fight from not that far away. She borrowed a copy of Red X's jammer, enabling her to stay out of Raven's empathic senses. She decided to activate her back-up plan to finish off Raven.

She aimed at Red X and said, "Muihtonex etanodet."

A flash of her power struck Red X and the chamber on his utility belt that held the xenothium began to detonate.

Red X yelled, "Shit. The xenothium is going critical."

Raven said, "Well this timing pretty much sucks."

X responded, "It had a few more weeks left - I know. It couldn't just detonate like this."

Raven latched onto those words - X's xenothium wasn't naturally in an explosive decay, someone rigged it to blow. And it was done a few seconds earlier.

Raven said, "Goodbye Grant. I can't save you now."

Raven teleported away from Red X just as the xenothium inside exploded. A huge hole emerged in Grant's stomach as he loudly plopped onto the streets of Vienna - dead.

* * *

Slade was sitting down at his base in Perth, Australia. He was enjoying a cold bottle of scotch as he was checking the news to see what was happening. He was wanting to get ready for what he would do next - that is once he figured it out.

Suddenly, a seventy-or-so year old man walked into the room where Slade was. His head was mostly bald - his hair was all around his sides.

"Sir, I have terrible news."

"What is it Wintergreen?", Slade asked.

"Grant is dead. He was killed in Vienna around an hour ago."

"What happened to my son?"

"Xenothium detonation in the Red X suit."

"When I was in Titans Tower, I examined the Red X suit. Robin designed the xenothium chamber to resist the other Titan attacks. The levels were stable before the explosion, which means it was set off."

"How?"

"There are only a few people on Earth that can cause xenothium to quickly detonate. And even fewer that can cause a detonation in such a secure place."

Slade walked out of the room, in complete emotional turmoil in the aftermath of his son's death.

* * *

In Titans Tower, the Titans were watching the newscast dealing with the sudden death of Red X.

Cyborg said, "Anybody know what could have happened to kill Red X?"

Starfire inquired, "Did the news person not say that the xenothium detonated and killed him?"

Beast Boy added, "She did. Cyborg meant, how did it detonate? The levels were stable until they suddenly went off."

Argent could come up to one conclusion, "Zatanna. She sent another after Raven and now she killed the only person that could incriminate her."

Jinx sighed, "And now I'm in deep fucking shit. Zatanna wants my head. You need to tell the League of Zatanna's involvment."

Bushido said, "Diplomacy prevents it. We need proof that Zatanna did it. And the League isn't on great terms with Raven."

Jinx said, "They voted to kick Robin out for imprisoning Raven. What do you mean?"

Cyborg said, "They voted against Robin for the inhumanity of his actions. Not for any particular like of Raven. Her demonic half isn't making her any friends on the League."

Beast Boy asked, "Speaking of heroes, how is Kid Flash going for ya?"

Jinx replied, "Good, I think. We're still on for Friday night. It'd be my first date, ever. God I need some help."

Starfire said, "Jinx, I would be more than happy to help you get ready for your date with Kid Flash."

Starfire grabbed Jinx and flew her away. Jinx quietly muttered, 'Help me'.

* * *

Claw finally arrived in Tanzania, quickly making his way to Slade's base on Tanganyika, where Rose was currently staying. Claw knew if anyone knew where Raven was headed - it might be her.

Claw noticed the heavy barricades and fortifications surrounding the estate. He made quick work of the mines with a grenade, blowing them up and enabling him to pass through without losing a leg.

He looked at the machine guns and quickly strolled by, not wanting to get caught in their line of fire. Hundreds of rounds were poured out at Claw, but every round missed.

Inside, Rose noticed that Claw was coming. Her father taught her never to back down, so she put on her armor and grabbed her sword. Ravager would not go down without a fight.

Claw broke into the estate, with the Sword of the Crucible in hand, looking for Ravager.

As Claw passed through the hallway leading to the showers, Ravager quietly waited in the corner, waiting to ambush Claw. Ravager jumped down and tried to stab Claw in the back.

Claw quickly noticed her and brought his sword forward to protect himself from Ravager. Claw pushed forward, quickly forcing Ravager on defense - a position she never liked.

Claw brought upon another blow towards Ravager, which she blocked. Claw kept hammering Ravager with blows left and right. Ravager had faced some tough opponents in the HIVE, but Claw was nothing like them - whereas they were trying to win, Claw was thirsty for blood - Ravager's blood.

Claw finally spoke, saying "Where is Raven?"

Ravager responded, "I'll never tell you."

Claw continued to swing away at Ravager, but she could only take so much. Claw got lucky and slashed Ravager in the leg, forcing her onto her knees.

Claw threw the sword away from Ravager, now clearly having the upper hand, ready to finish her off.

Claw demanded one more time, "Where the fuck is Raven? Tell me or I will kill you."

Ravager said for the last time, "I'll never tell on a hero."

In fury, Claw thrust his sword into Ravager's heart, hurting it almost to the point of death. Claw began to notice that Ravager's leg was beginning to heal itself.

Wanting to ensure that Ravager never gets up, Claw sliced his sword through Ravager's neck, decapitating her in one brutal stroke.

Ravager was dead and her head fell down onto the cold, unforgiving floor. Claw put his sword away, ready to leave.

However, before he could leave, what appeared to be a cell phone was ringing.

Claw picked it up from Rose's corpse and opened it. He was surprised to hear who was on the other side.

Slade asked, "Rose, are you there? I need to talk to you."

Claw responded, "I'm sorry Slade, she can't answer you. She's dead."

Slade angrily growled, "Robin."

"It's Claw now. I didn't know I killed your own daughter. And I loved every second of it. I want to do it again."

"Trust me, you will pay for what you did. You can try to run, but you will not escape from my wrath."

"Oh goody, nice talking to you, Slade."

Claw hung up on Slade before walking out of the estate. He suddenly was starting to think that Raven was not the only person he had to get his revenge on. No, Slade freed her, he sprung her from the cell he trapped her in, and she gave him back his life, his flesh and blood. Slade had to suffer. Claw would make sure of it.

* * *

The Atom walked into the Justice League safehouse in Nigeria, only to find nobody was there.

He checked the computers only to find that all the data was wiped. All of the data, including the JL records and basic command programs - nobody from the League would do that before they left a safehouse. They would just turn off the computer. The fact Zatanna wiped the computers completely meant she wasn't coming back. She had something to hide. The Atom knew it now.

The Atom noticed that Zatanna took one of the League communicators from the safehouse. After referencing the number, the Atom called it in an attempt to reach Zatanna.

Zatanna answered the Atom's call. "You didn't show up Ray. I can't trust you, so I had to leave."

The Atom responded, "You wiped out the computer drives at the Nigerian safehouse. Zee, what the fuck are you hiding from us?"

Zatanna hung up on the Atom. He tried re-dialing the number only to find that Zatanna had removed the battery from the communicator. He couldn't speak back to Zatanna. He couldn't communicate with her. She had gone on a dark path.

The Atom was prepared to call the League to inform them of Zatanna's deceit, trying to swerve her away from what she is becoming. However, a burst of knockout gas swept the safehouse, a defense mechanism the League put in place to attack intruders. The Atom fell asleep, knowing that Zatanna had knocked him out to keep him from telling. He knew Zatanna had to be taken down.


	23. New Names, Old Faces

**Author's Notes**

To JP-Rider, you're pretty much right about that. In due time, Claw will be after Jericho - that will be important for the end of Act 2. You'll see what happens - trust me, you probably won't see what comes next.

To the guest reviewer, thanks for the review.

To bloodshark, I'm trying to make Robin (now Claw) darker. He is more ruthless, more cutthroat, more violent than before. Rose was Slade's daughter, and Robin was once Slade's apprentice - figure Slade taught some of what he taught to Rose to Robin. In addition, the Sword of the Crucible bears some powerful properties that made it harder for Rose to be able to defend herself. You'll see Raven and Slade at least working together in a few chapters.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

Wintergreen walked in on Slade's bedroom, asking if he wanted anything. Wintergreen opened the door and saw something truly unexpected - Slade was actually crying. His mask was off and he was lying face down on his bed, exposing his white hair.

Wintergreen never had seen Slade cry before, even after Joseph had his vocal chords slashed. But Slade did lose his two eldest children in one day, and the fact they were both murdered makes it unbearable for Slade.

In Slade's mind, he was going through who could have killed his children. He knew that Robin, now known as Claw, attacked and murdered Rose in Tanzania. For Grant's death, he was still trying to figure out who could have caused the xenothium to explode. Very few people could cause that explosion.

However, most of Slade's mind was filled with grief and pain, trying to fade out the torture of losing his family. If Robin were here, he would have certainly gained the upper hand and exploited Slade's grief - maybe use it to defeat him, torture him, or blackmail him.

Wintergreen asked, "Master Slade, is there anything you need right now?"

Slade began to stop crying but still didn't look at Wintergreen. "Wintergreen, I need you to get something from Jump."

* * *

Zatanna walked back into the safehouse in Nigeria, wearing a gas mask to find that the Atom was lying unconscious on the floor.

Zatanna grabbed the Atom's communicator and typed in, "I am with Zee in the Nigeria safehouse. Do not disturb. Ray."

She sent the message to the Justice League, worded exactly as how the Atom would do it - nobody would suspect that Zatanna had knocked out the Atom to maintain her charade.

Zatanna locked the safehouse from outside, trapping the Atom inside and leaving no ways to get out, not to mention no way for him to contact the League for help.

Zatanna left the safehouse when she saw a Jeep passing by. There was only one person in the Jeep. The Jeep stopped and the driver got out of the Jeep.

Zatanna readied herself, ready to fight whoever had found her.

The person spoke in a voice Zatanna knew fairly well - "Hello Zatanna."

Zatanna knew it was the former Robin Dick Grayson.

Zatanna responded, "Hello, Richard. How goes it after being booted out of the Titans?"

Claw responded, "I'm Claw now. I acquired the Sword of the Crucible and I'm now tracking down Raven. The motherfucker will pay for all the shit she did to me."

Zatanna responded, "Claw, I am also trying to get rid of Raven. Her power makes her a threat. I tried convincing the League but they refuse to back me up to eliminate her."

"So you hired Jinx and Red X."

"Yes. But Raven found out what I was doing and saved Jinx. She's in Titans Tower now, safe from my reach. And I had to kill X to keep myself in tact and try to finish off the bitch."

"We need to get our revenge on Raven. But first we need to cause them some pain. Hurt the ones they love. The ones they cherish."

"What do you propose, Claw?"

"We team up. We'll kill Jinx and the Teen Titans, plus Slade and Raven."

"Heard you killed Rose a few hours ago."

"Wasn't much of a fight. The Sword of the Crucible is a damn good weapon, its presence actually weakens the opponent I hear. The girl never stood a fucking chance, just how I like it."

"You want Slade because he sprung Raven, gave her a chance to hope. To gain Trigon's power."

"Yes. I want to destroy what little he cares about, leave him broken and his corpse to the buzzards."

"Well, he has another son. Jericho. The Titans are considering recruiting him into the organization, Raven gave her blessing. He lives in the mountains of Nepal. Get there and you'll kill the last offspring of the deadliest mercenary on the planet."

"Then we lure Slade out of hiding and then we kill him."

"Remember he does have a healing ability, which transferred into his children."

"I can't wait to saw off his head, just like I did with his daughter."

"And are you ready for a fight with your former team?"

"Yes. I know how to take three of them down at least."

"And I'll help with the other two. They already know of my deception, but Raven told them not to report it yet."

"Because she's got no fucking proof of it."

"Once they're dead, the bitch queen is all ours. And the sword should slice her open, just like it did to her daddy dearest."

"See you, Zee. I've got a plane to catch, and a target."

Claw got back into his Jeep and drove away from Zatanna, now with a plan in motion.

* * *

Raven needed to retreat from society after Red X's death. She wanted to be somewhere that nobody could find her. Nobody could attack her.

She traveled to the polar ice caps of the North Pole. She began floating around and saw nothing but barren tundra and ice ahead.

Raven thought to herself, _Maybe parents should take their kids up here to prove there is no Santa Claus. Break their faith in nonexistent creatures before they get it. Show them how cynical the world can be_.

Suddenly, Raven began to sense that she was not alone. She sensed there were two other people down beneath the ice caps. Raven was perplexed - how could people live beneath the ice? They would be frozen solid.

Seeing as she had nothing to lose as her abilities allowed her to go in ice without dying, Raven chose to go beneath the surface to see who was down there.

Once she got beneath the ice, she was surprised at the world she saw - it had all sorts of flaura and fauna, stuff that looked like it belonged in the age of the dinosaurs. She also noted the level of humidity, which she found surprising for its place.

Raven began floating through the jungle, trying to find the two humans beneath the surface. Suddenly, her cloak got caught in a branch.

Raven was able to dislodge her cloak from the branch before opting to walk the rest of the way to the other people down there.

She continued her walk, unsure of what exactly she is going to find down here. Then, she heard a pack of something coming towards her. Raven ran as fast as she could, trying to get away from whatever is now trying to eat her alive.

Raven reached the middle of the jungle but was cornered by what appeared to be raptors. Raven sighed, thinking _Beast Boy may have been useful down here_.

She began using her powers to bounce away the raptors, but Raven realized she was ultimately outnumbered as she kept mowing down raptors but they still kept coming.

However, swinging down on a rope was what appeared to be a pink-haired girl (that otherwise looked nothing like Jinx) and a caveman.

The girl suddenly became covered in what looked like, crystal. No, she wasn't covered in it - her body seemed to be made up of crystal. The caveman grabbed the girl and used her to swing away at the raptors.

Raptor after raptor was knocked down and soon the rest of the pack ran away. Raven was surprised at what she saw, and realized that those two were the humans she detected.

The girl then turned back into a human before running over to Raven. She said, "Hello, visitor."

Raven replied, "My name is Raven, who are you guys?"

The girl said, "My name is Kole, and his name is Gnarrk." Gnarrk said, "Gnarrk."

Raven said, "So how did you turn into crystal?"

Kole said, "A trait my father gave me. He wanted me to be able to survive the oncoming apocalypse, so he gave me the ability to turn into crystal. Unfortunately, when people tried to exploit my gifts, I fled here and met Gnarrk."

Gnarrk then said, "Gnarrk."

Raven monotoned, "I guess that's the only thing he knows how to say."

Kole said, "You got that right, Raven."

* * *

Kole brought Raven back to her makeshift home where she lived with Gnarrk. Along the way, Raven talked about her past, her time with the Titans, and the recent weeks following her father's death. Raven was impressed with the place, for it being a place built in the middle of the jungle by a crystal girl and a caveman.

Raven set her backpack containing her room down onto the ground.

Kole asked Raven, "You're telling me that you were supposed to be the apocalypse? And now it's not going to happen?"

Raven said, "In basic English, yes."

Gnarrk said his one word, "Gnarrk."

Kole said, "In Gnarrk, that means he is fearful of you but doesn't know what to say."

Raven says, "I just want to be accepted here. Not cast out and left for dead."

Kole added, "Well with your abilities, we can't leave you for dead. You'll survive." Kole was starting to grow on Raven.

Kole whipped up a little drink for Raven and tossed it over to her. Raven took a quick gulp of it, and she definitely liked it.

Raven said, "Man this is good. What is this?"

Kole said, "It's strawberry, jungle root seaweed, and mango-kiwi."

Raven didn't spit the drink out upon hearing those ingredients - normally people would when they heard jungle root seaweed. Kole never understood why people didn't like seaweed - they ate sushi rolls and they were practically made from seaweed.

Gnarrk said, somewhat inquisitively, "Gnarrk."

Kole translated, saying "Gnarrk is asking if you can go through his mind and see his past."

Raven asked, "Does Gnarrk want me to?"

Gnarrk nods yes to Kole, who in turn nods yes to Raven.

Raven levitates over towards Gnarrk and says her mantra, for the first time in a while, "Azarath metrion zinthos."

Raven goes through Gnarrk's mind and sees his past.

Kole asks, "So what did you see?"

Raven said, "Gnarrk is a family name. His first name is Melakai. His full name Melakai Gnarrk, translates roughly to Warrior of Heart."

Kole said, "Is that an honor?"

Raven said, "And a bit of an insult, largely because he more does than thinks."

Kole asked, "So why does he only say Gnarrk?"

Raven said, "His family was killed in a spinosaurus attack, and Gnarrk was running when he fell into the ice. He was perfectly preserved by the materials in the ice, but it did cause him to lose some of his vocabulary. As a result, he can only say Gnarrk."

Kole was enlightened by Raven's response, now knowing the truth about her caveman copatriot. Kole asked Raven, "Do you want to stay for the night?"

Raven replied, "Sure. I'll get my bed..."

Kole however, dragged Raven away from her backpack. Kole said, "No. How about you sleep with me and Gnarrk?"

Raven looked confused. She asked, "Are you sure about it? Will Gnarrk mind?"

Kole said, "He won't. Gnarrk typically sleeps on the rock bed. It feels more natural to him."

Raven, still slightly confused, said "Okay."

Kole brought Raven to her bed, which looked to be a king-sized mattress. Raven had to be wondering, _how the heck did Kole get a mattress down here_. Kole, knowing what Raven was thinking, added "You'd be surprised what finds its way down here."

Raven took off her boots and cloak, leaving them on a nearby rock before walking over to the bed. Kole took off her shoes and dress, leaving her in just a thin bikini. Raven had to admit that the pink bra and panties went with her hair and fit surprisingly well.

The two got into bed. Raven said, "Goodnight Kole." Kole responded, "Night, Rae." The two quickly fell asleep.

* * *

Back in Jump City, the Titans were fighting the White Monster. What certainly threw the Titans off was that it could somehow fuse with any material - if it touched steel, it turned into steel. Rock, it turned into rock. Oil, it became an oil monster.

The five Titans were pushing everything they had into the fight against the Monster, but none of their attacks were connecting with the monster.

Beast Boy turned into a gorilla and tried to rip apart the White Monster, which was now made of concrete. His attack was somewhat effective, enabling the Titans to deliver more powerful blows to the creature. However, it wasn't enough to fully defeat the creature.

The White Monster then jerked Beast Boy off and he fell far away, in human form. Beast Boy looked around him and saw he was nowhere near the fight. He was actually at Murakami High School.

Beast Boy was preparing to turn into a bird and fly back to the fight when a familiar girl passed him by behind the bars of the school gate. She was dressed in uniform - with a white shirt, black tie, and striped skirt all for school. However, Beast Boy knew the face from a mile away.

Beast Boy said to himself, "Terra?"


	24. Proof of Guilt

**Author's Notes**

To bloodshark, Batman isn't following Claw's trail of bodies because the murders were all out of Gotham City - out of his jurisdiction. The Church of Blood raid and the attack on Ravager were in areas out of JL jurisdiction. In addition, Delgrado's murder couldn't be connected to Claw - it would look like just a random robbery. Wonder Woman will briefly appear soon, as will the Justice League - but the climax of Act 2 won't see the League directly in the fray.

To JP-Rider, Terra will be a part of the story. Her role will be further explored in Act 3, with the mystery of her appearance explained in the first chapter of the act. I guarantee it.

To Xxsnow dreamxX, in a few chapters will come the final showdown between Raven and Claw. I have a rough idea of what will happen to Claw, but I am still trying to figure out the other characters and what will happen to them.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

Claw reached the mountains of Nepal, receiving guidance from Zatanna on where to find the last child of Slade Wilson. He brought for his climb two climbing axes, the Mark 23 handgun, the Sword of the Crucible, some snow gear, a blindfold, and some foodstuffs.

Claw began his climb up the over 12,000 foot high mountain. This task may seem daunting for some, but Claw was filled with rage and adrenaline, which under most circumstances would be a nearly lethal combination, but it was driving forward Claw.

He was climbing incredibly fast - over sixty feet a minute at his current pace. He would likely be at the peak of the mountain in around three hours.

Unhampered by the snowstorm that began to blanket the mountain nor the instability of the rocks, Claw quickly ascended to the halfway point in just over ninety minutes. At that point, Claw decided to take a break, pulling out a granola bar to satiate his stomach and give him some more energy for the climb ahead.

However, on the horizon he began to notice something flying towards the mountains. Claw took out his binoculars and saw it was Starfire.

Claw thought to himself, _Goddammit! Starfire is here for Jericho, too. It's a competition for the top. I really should have brought the weaponry designed against the Titans with me. Oh well_.

Claw hurried his pace up the mountain, being careful as to not be seen by his former girlfriend. Starfire, meanwhile, was inspecting every mountain for Jericho, trying to find him and recruit him for the Titans. Cyborg decided that it would be imperative for the Titans to get some new members, especially with the presence of creatures like White Monster.

Fortunately, or unfortunately for Claw, Starfire began to lose altitude in the bitter cold and found herself forced to climb the rest of the way up the mountain. Starfire could walk the short trails but then had to climb up to reach the next trail. Starfire really wished she had taken climbing lessons in Tamaran, or that Tamaran offered climbing classes.

Claw noticed that Starfire had slowed down, forced to take the long way up the mountain. After around two and a half hours of climbing, Claw reached the ten thousand foot mark.

There, Claw chose to take the Blaser 93 sniper rifle he had packed in case he needed it out of the pack he brought. Claw assembled the rifle and began to take the shorter way around the mountain, knowing he had a considerable head start on Starfire.

Around twenty minutes later, Claw had climbed 11,500 feet total and was almost at the top. Claw could see Jericho clearly on the mountain, at peace, not knowing what was going on below. It seemed like he was in Shangri-La. Claw would rip Jericho from that heaven and cast him into hell.

Claw, noticing Starfire was beginning to get within his eyesight, aimed the Blaser at Starfire. Claw fired one shot before chambering the round. A normal bullet could not phase Starfire, but the bullet Claw used was an armor-piercing (for say against a tank) one.

Starfire stood no chance and quickly fell back to the bottom of the mountain range. Claw doubted the bullet killed her - Tamaraneans are notoriously tough so they can't be killed easily. However, that did put her out of his worries for the time being. Claw disassembled the Blaser 93 before putting it back in his pack. He wouldn't need it for what he was about to do.

Claw reached the top of the mountain, and saw the vast green grass on the top as well as Jericho, playing his guitar on a rock. Zatanna briefed Claw about Jericho's abilities to possess people and that he was mute.

Claw was now stealthily walking behind Jericho, with the blindfold out in his hand, preparing to ambush his unaware target.

Claw reached Jericho and then tied the blindfold onto Jericho, rendering him blind and unable to use his powers, since they require eyesight to work.

Claw kicked Jericho onto the ground and pulled out the Mark 23 handgun. He shot Jericho once in the back of the head before pulling out a serrated knife he kept on his belt.

Claw used the knife to cut the back of Jericho's neck, soon severing the spinal cord connecting Jericho's head to the rest of his body. Claw checked to see if Jericho had a pulse, and he was satisfied when he saw that Jericho had none.

Claw grabbed a grappling gun bullet and attached it to the front of the Mark 23. He aimed it at a nearby mountain top and fired the grappling round at the mountain.

Claw swung down off the mountain, away from Jericho's corpse. He landed onto another mountain before beginning his descent, using his climbing axes to maintain his grip as he swung down towards the base.

* * *

Slade was in his bed, just laying there, completely still, trying to clear his head. However, losing two family members in one day - them both being his own flesh and blood, was emotionally hurting to Slade, even for a cold man like him.

Wintergreen calmly walked into the room, with a very dour look on his face. He said, "Master Slade, I have bad news."

Slade turned over and said in genuine concern, "Not Joseph. Please tell me."

Wintergreen, in visible anguish, looked down on the floor before walking away from his boss. Slade knew that his last child had been killed. There was no word to describe just how much pain Slade had just been in, and this was just the breaking point.

Slade collapsed onto the floor and began to cry again. He couldn't save his children from who killed them, but he would be damned if he didn't avenge them. He would find Claw and he would make him pay.

However, Slade knew that he couldn't go after Claw alone - he needed to find where he was, and more importantly, who he was working with. Slade needed somebody who knew Claw well, and could defeat him. And there was one person he could rely on to do that.

* * *

In her cottage in rural Poland, Raven was getting back after doing some healing for the local village. They had requested her help and she had graciously accepted, tired of seeing people die and wanting to help people live.

She phased into her cottage and prepared to make herself a cup of tea. However, Raven sensed she was not alone in the cottage almost instantly after she entered.

Raven heard some footsteps heading her way - eerily familiar footsteps. The person in the room said, "Hello, Raven. It's been a while."

Raven turned around to the visitor and said, "Slade, I wasn't expecting you here. Why come to visit me, especially now?"

Slade unzipped the black fanny pack he brought with him and threw three pictures onto Raven's bed.

"My children are dead. And they have a link to you. Why, Raven? Why did I have to lose them?"

Raven took a look at the pictures and saw the photo of Grant after the explosion, of Rose after Claw had decapitated her, and lastly the photo of Jericho.

Raven was visibly aghast at what she was seeing - she knew Slade was not capable of such atrocity or brutality. Raven panicked, said, "This can't be real. Jericho can't be dead."

"Unfortunately, it is. We both saw how Grant died - someone blew up the xenothium in his suit."

"It was Zatanna. She placed a hit on me, first with Jinx, and then with Grant. Zatanna turned your son into a kamikaze, trying to kill me with his death."

"Rose was attacked at my base in Tanzania. It was Robin's doing."

Raven was visibly shocked when she heard Robin's name. Robin was even tamer than Slade - there was no way Robin could have murdered Rose so violently. He wouldn't be that cruel even in self-defense.

"Robin wouldn't do this. Even to your child, Slade."

"Well Raven, Robin is no more. After he was removed from the Titans, he took the name Claw."

Slade threw a picture of Claw onto the bed in front of the pictures of Slade's slain children.

"Claw. He stole the Sword of the Crucible from the Church of Blood in Ukraine. He murdered Professor Chang for the tracker and Doctor Thom Delgrado for the Book of Noll."

"What was so special about the Book of Noll he stole?"

"That was the one which contained Malchior. It came into my possession and Malchior tried to seduce me into freeing him. He broke out but I sent him back. Claw must have freed Malchior and sent him after me but Malchior met his end at my hand."

"He's after you, just like Zatanna. And then it looks like he murdered Joseph."

"How could he know where Jericho was? You didn't even know where he was."

Slade pulled out another photo from his fanny pack, revealing the footage of Claw meeting with Zatanna.

"It's amazing what satellites pick up. Zatanna told Claw where to find my son."

"I never told Zatanna, I'd never tell her. I only told...the Titans. Shit!"

"What do you mean, Raven?"

"Batman. He has cameras in the tower. Zatanna must have found the footage and found out Jericho's location. That means she also knows where Jinx is."

"Jinx? You brought her to the Tower?"

"That was the safest place I could think - no League jurisdiction in Jump City. Batman's orders."

"When you brought Jinx there, why did you tell the others about Zatanna?"

"I didn't want them to be tricked. I also told them not to tell because I didn't want Zatanna getting suspicious. I needed more proof."

"You can't wait for proof, Raven. You need to act."

"The photos. Zatanna detonated the xenothium, she tried to kill me and Jinx, and she gave Claw the location of Jericho. We have our proof. We have to go to the League now. Zatanna has to be taken down."

"Raven, as much as I would like to go with you, I am wanted by the League for forty-seven assorted charges."

"The Watchtower has precautions that will cause you to be revealed instantly. However, I might be able to get you into the Watchtower without them instantly shooting you."

"And what would that be?"

"Trust me, Slade. It's the only way your kids can get vengeance. And the only way we can take down Claw and Zatanna."

Slade put the pictures back in his fanny pack, ready to display them to the League. Raven promptly put her room back into her backpack, enabling her to take it with her with nobody going to steal it.

"How will we get there?"

"Grab my hand Slade." Slade grabbed Raven's hands, now aware of what Raven was going to do - she was intent on teleporting the duo over to the Watchtower.

"I'm ready, Raven."

"One, two, three." Raven turned into a soul-self raven, which also contained Slade before flying out of the cottage, heading right for the Watchtower.


	25. League Meeting

**Author's Notes**

To bloodshark, you'll see what becomes of Claw in a few chapters, I guarantee it. However, I can't guarantee you that it will be all you imagined it to be.

To JP-Rider, I am planning there to be 5 more chapters, including this one, before the end of Act 2, and then we'll be at the final act of the story. And unfortunately, Jericho did have to die, which would largely increase Raven's case against Zatanna and Claw, as well as sort of have an impact on Act 3 in Raven's viewpoint.

To Xxsnow dreamxX, we are here - the confrontation between Raven and the League over the sorceress that Titans fans hate so very much - Zatanna.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

Back at Titans Tower, Cyborg was repeatedly calling Starfire for a progress update on recruiting Jericho.

"Starfire, come in. This is Cyborg. Starfire, please come in. Talk to me. You haven't checked in. We want to make sure that you are alive."

However, since Claw shot Starfire, she has been unconscious, unable to see or hear what is going on around her - so she doesn't know about what happened to Jericho. She also, along with the other Titans, has no clue about the true identity of Claw.

Argent walked into the room and said to Cyborg, "You get any hits on her communicator?"

Cyborg put up the tracking screen for Starfire's communicator, which shows her in the same mountain range as Nepal.

Cyborg said, "Yep. She's in Nepal alright. Question is why isn't she answering?"

"Maybe signal interference. She is probably going to be high up in the mountains. I doubt the communicator can receive calls up there."

"Well, how high up is she?"

Cyborg did some typing to activate the altitude beacon, which would tell him just how high up Starfire was. The two were both startled when they saw that Starfire's altitude was zero feet above ground.

"This can't be right. Starfire can't still be on the ground. She can fly. She is immune to the cold and the elements. Why the hell is she on the ground?"

"Maybe someone beat her there."

"You're right, Argent. We can only hope she's still alive."

* * *

After thinking he saw Terra during the fight with the White Monster, Beast Boy could think of nothing other than Terra - was she alive? Was she at a school? Does she remember who she is? Does she have her powers? Is she good? Does she still love me? That last question was the question of the day in Beast Boy's mind.

Beast Boy quickly ventured down to the volcano where Terra was petrified into stone saving the city after killing Slade.

Beast Boy thought, _Well I guess Terra should know she failed to kill Slade. After all, Raven's dad brought him back and now he's fully human again. God knows what shit he is planning next._

Beast Boy turned into a cheetah and promptly ran through the halls, rushing to see his girlfriend trapped in stone.

Beast Boy reached the location of Terra's statue, and he saw that Terra wasn't there. The statue was gone.

Beast Boy said out loud, "Yes! Terra's alive. This is my chance. I can get her back."

* * *

Orbiting miles above the surface of the Earth, the Watchtower was the Justice League's headquarters as they prepared to handle the biggest emergencies on the planet.

Currently on station were: Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, the Flash, Dr. Fate, Aquaman, and the Elongated Man. The Atom was still unconscious from Zatanna's trap, though he would be awakening within an hour or so while Zatanna was off-station, now off the grid without the League's knowledge, with Claw.

Raven's soul self quickly took herself and Slade from the Warsaw cottage up to the Watchtower lower entrance. This entrance was designed for space-traveling League members such as Superman and Green Lantern.

The two entered the Watchtower but it triggered an alarm, sending dozens of League guards over to the lower entrance, where they were aiming plasma-firing M16A3 rifles.

The lead guard said, "Freeze. Surrender now and we will not shoot you." The guards were currently barricaded within a shield designed to contain the breathable air in the room. The soul-self Raven passed through the shield before manifesting into Raven and Slade.

Raven raised her hands into the air and calmly said, "Relax. We're just here to talk with the League."

* * *

Zatanna was in a nightclub in Marrakesh, Morocco, currently awaiting the arrival of Claw. She calmly sat down at one of the tables, sipping from a bottle of gin.

She knew that the Atom would soon awaken and realize her deception. However, he still did not know about her recent alliance with Claw or that she had placed a hit on Raven, or that she tried to kill Jinx, or that she killed Grant Wilson in cold blood, or that she gave away Jericho's location for Claw to execute him.

Claw walked up to the table where Zatanna was sitting at, with a bottle of scotch in his hand. Claw certainly wasn't of drinking age, but he was a criminal now - rules were of no importance to him anymore. If it felt right, he did it.

"The mission was a success, Zee. Jericho is dead. Forty-five in the back of the head and his spinal cord is severed", Claw said.

Zatanna replied, "Excellent work. To the death of Raven."

Claw raised his bottle to meet Zatanna's toast. "To the end of Raven."

The two then took a swing from their respective choice of poisons. Zatanna always drank gin when she could choose her alcohol while Claw had experimented with scotch while he lived with Bruce Wayne.

Zatanna said, "We've got a plane to catch in an hour."

Claw said, "Jinx?"

"And the other Teen Titans. They know too much. They have to be eliminated."

"Agreed. I can hack the security and we can slip in and wipe them out. Starfire is currently unconscious in Nepal."

"Your work I assume."

"Couldn't let her get Jericho to become a Titan."

Claw took another drink of his scotch. Zatanna pulled out her Justice League wallet and left a twenty-dollar bill (of American money) on the table.

Claw and Zatanna left their empty bottles on the table as they had to catch their flight to Jump City.

* * *

With Starfire not in the city, Argent took it upon herself to get Jinx ready for her date with Kid Flash. Discarding Starfire's choice of a pink T-shirt and black jeans for the pinkette, Argent instead dressed Jinx in a black blouse that exposed her navel and in gray pants that exposed her ankles and the lower part of her legs.

Jinx asked, "So how do I look?"

Argent showed Jinx what she looked like in the mirror. She replied, "I think you look ravishing, Jinx. How do you feel?"

Jinx said, slightly deadpanning, "I feel like the mix of a Romanian slut and British schoolgirl."

"Then the outfit did it's job, I suppose. You can't be late for your date, Jinx."

"I know, I know."

Jinx put on her shoes before heading towards the main ops room, where Cyborg was still checking in on Starfire. Bushido was currently sharpening his sword in his room while Beast Boy was currently preparing Terra's room for her return.

Someone knocked at the door and Jinx went to go get it. And there was Kid Flash, dressed in a red T-shirt and blue jeans.

Flash said, "Hey beautiful. How's it going?"

Jinx replied, "I think it's going good. I'm ready for our date."

"So am I. I know this great ice cream shop downtown."

"Let's go my speedster."

With that, Kid Flash and Jinx sped out of the Tower, en route to their first date.

* * *

On the Watchtower, scanners had recognized Slade, so the guards had to ultimately shackle him up - a collar surrounding his neck plus tight handcuffs on his hands, which were then put behind his back when they added a straitjacket on him followed by chains on his legs. They needed Slade secure at all costs - they didn't want the madman deciding to kill the entire Justice League. However, Raven had identified Slade as her guest, so they chose not to execute him.

Raven, however, was not chained up - mainly because she was not classified as a villain. The guards escorted Raven to the Justice League Council, where all the present members were meeting, well those on the Watchtower anyway.

Raven and Slade walked into the Council room, unescorted by guards as the other superheroes were there, and capable of killing them (well maybe not Raven).

The head of the Council at the moment, the Martian Manhunter spoke first. "Identify yourselves."

Raven said, "Raven. Former Teen Titan and the Gem of Skaath."

Slade said, "Slade Wilson. Former mercenary known as Deathstroke."

The League had wanted Slade for a while, as he had committed no fewer than fifteen hits (those were the confirmed) plus was a crime lord and mastermind operating in Jump City. The charges racked up quickly, and there was a "Dead or Alive" notice on his head.

The Manhunter then said, "Explain your purpose here."

Raven said, "We came to talk with you. About some pressing issues."

"Then why should we not have you thrown out of the Watchtower?"

"Because it concerns one of your own. Zatanna Zatara has gone rogue."

Batman defiantly said, "You aren't speaking the truth. Zatanna wouldn't go rogue on us."

Raven asked, "If she hasn't, where is she? Isn't this her time onboard the Watchtower? Is it not her shift?"

The Leaguers had to admit - Raven was right. Maybe she did have a point in all this.

Wonder Woman added, "Her last known location was in Nigeria. Staying at the League safehouse. She is currently with the Atom."

Raven said, "Oh I doubt that."

Wonder Woman asked, "What do you mean, Raven?"

"Because two days ago, she was in Vienna murdering Grant Wilson."

The Flash inquired, "Who is Grant Wilson?"

Slade said, "One of my sons. You may know him as Red X."

Superman asked, "How could Zatanna have killed Red X? He died when the xenothium exploded."

Raven said, "Because she set it off manually. With one of her spells. The xenothium levels were stable enough for a few more weeks. Zatanna is one of the few people in the world that could cause such an explosion."

Green Lantern said, "It could be a coincidence, maybe she was trying to save your life. What are the odds she was in Vienna the same time you two were."

Raven added, "It wasn't a coincidence because Zatanna hired Grant to kill me. She set off the xenothium in a last-ditch attempt to kill me when I beat Grant."

Batman asked, "Then how do you know Zatanna did it?"

Raven said, "Because Jinx told me. Zatanna hired Jinx first and intended on me killing her before Zatanna killed me. Gets rid of both witnesses. However, I saved Jinx's life and she told me."

Aquaman had a question for Raven and said, "We know that Jinx is a criminal associated with the defunct HIVE Academy. Why did you believe her?"

Raven said, "She was telling the truth. I'm an empath - I can sense feelings and I am a lie detector. Jinx was telling me the truth. Do you want me to show you because I did tape it."

Raven opened her backpack and a red-black glow surrounded a DVD. Raven promptly sent it over to the Elongated Man, who inserted it into the Council Video-Player.

The monitor turned on, and began to play back Jinx's interrogation.

_Raven continued, "Let's get down to business. Who hired you to kill me?"_

_Jinx paused, uncertain of what to say. She then said, "The Justice League."_

_Raven asked another question. "Who from the Justice League approached you?"_

_Jinx said, "Zatanna Zatara."_

_Raven said, "So the Justice League doesn't have a contract on me. Only she does."_

_"So, I don't think Zatanna knew that when she hired me."_

_"She did know that - she knew you wouldn't survive a fight with me. If her plan worked perfectly, I would kill you, Zatanna would come and kill me, getting rid of me and her only witness to the truth."_

_"Even if that was possible, Zatanna never intended on giving it to you. And now you're in danger from her. Zatanna is now going to try to eliminate us because we know of her corruption."_

The Justice League was shocked at the video Raven had shown them - they were now beginning to get suspicious of their resident magician.

Raven said, "There's more. Zatanna is now associated with Claw, who has killed over a dozen people in the past few days."

The Elongated Man asked, "Who?"

"Twelve members of the Church of Blood. Professor Chang. Doctor Thom Delgrado. Rose Wilson. Joseph Wilson."

Batman asked, "Do you have any idea who Claw is?"

Raven said, "Slade told me. You may have known him as Robin. Richard Grayson."

The Flash said, "Dear God. We called a vote of confidence upon the request of the other Titans against Robin. We voted against him."

Raven said, "And now he's out for blood. My blood. And his blood."

The Martian Manhunter asked, "Why?"

Raven said, "Because Slade freed me from the prison Robin trapped me in."

Wonder Woman said, "Wait a minute. Why do you believe Claw and Zatanna are aligned?"

Raven said, "Joseph Wilson, aka Jericho. His location was unknown to almost everybody, even his father, Slade. I knew and," Raven's voice went lower as she continued on, "I told the Titans where to find him. Zatanna found the video containing it and sent Claw his way. Jericho never stood a chance."

Batman said, "How could Zatanna have acquired that information?"

Raven replied, "I told the Titans when I was in Titans Tower when I dropped off Jinx. You have cameras in there, don't you Bruce? I know who you are. Spend enough time with Robin and you figure out his identity. Slade knows as well, so don't take it as a surprise."

Green Lantern said, "Raven, we realize you are right. Zatanna has gone rogue. Why? Why would she do such a thing?"

Raven said, "When I first came to you, Zatanna tried to kill me and I was forced on the run because of her. After I slayed Trigon, I gained his power and Zatanna thought that power was a threat to her. So she set up the contract against me."

Slade remarked, "I would take her words to heart. Zatanna is too dangerous to be left alive. At the moment, she is more dangerous than myself."

The Martian Manhunter asked, "Then where is the Atom?"

Suddenly, the Atom finally shows up in the Council.

The Atom said, "I'm sorry, but Zatanna knocked me out. She's gone rogue. She wiped the safehouse computers to hide something."

Superman said, "We know everything now. Raven told us about Zatanna's doings and the crimes she has committed."

The Atom asked, "Where is she?"

Raven suddenly realized something terrible, thanks to her empathy. She said, "Shit! Zatanna's in Jump City. She and Claw are going to kill Jinx."

Wonder Woman asked, "Does she have her powers?"

Raven furiously said, "No! Because of the goddamn power suppressor I put on her. I need to get back to Jump now. I don't want more blood on my hands. Slade, with me."

Aquaman said, "Wait a minute. Slade is a wanted criminal. He cannot leave the Watchtower."

Raven rhetorically asked, "Has he done anything wrong while he was on board? I thought so."

Raven's powers then unchained Slade from his restraints. Raven grabbed Slade before her soul-self promptly consumed them both, now racing towards Jump City.


	26. Street War

**Author's Notes**

To JP-Rider, I never have thought about which Zatanna is the one in my story. I personally would believe she is more like the one in the older comics, as her personality is so anti-Raven. I haven't read "Return of a Titan", so that wouldn't be how I portrayed Robin (**Update:** I have now read "Return of a Titan" and I do notice many similarities between that Robin (who would become Dusk) and my Robin (Claw).) My portrayal of Robin (or Claw now) is more based upon "Faith", "Deal With It", and "Coincidences & Misunderstandings", with elements borrowed from the TV series, such as "Apprentice" and "Haunted".

To RedZenin, that cliffhanger certainly kept you in suspense and the result will come this chapter - the fight between Jinx and Kid Flash versus Claw and Zatanna.

To guest reviewer, I'm still working on Slade and Raven's relationship, which will ultimately comprise a significant portion of Act 3. Slade's children are dead as a doornail at the moment. I don't know whether or not to portray Slade and Raven's relationship like as lovers or as a surrogate father-daughter relationship.

To bloodshark, the confrontation between Raven and the League was necessary. The League is still trying to achieve consensus on Zatanna, but they probably won't be involved in the final confronation between Raven and Claw.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

At Titans Tower, Cyborg was trying to get a lock onto Starfire's vital signs - he needed to know if she was still alive. That seemed to be nerve-wracking for the other Titans, who were all gathered in the main ops room, awaiting news.

At long last, Cyborg found Starfire's vitals - her heart and lungs were functioning normally (well normal for a Tamaranean) and she was starting to regain consciousness.

Cyborg heard through the communicator, "What happened?". It was Starfire's voice. She was alive.

Cyborg responded, "Star, get back to the Tower. We'll figure it out here. We can tell someone beat you to Jericho."

Starfire replied, "Okay Cyborg, I will return to the Tower immediately."

Suddenly, an alert was coming in from the Justice League Watchtower. Cyborg accepted the chat and appearing on the screen was Superman.

Superman asked, "Where's Jinx?"

Cyborg said, "She's out downtown with Kid Flash. Why?"

Superman's response was "Tell her to return to the Tower now. Zatanna's in Jump City and we believe Jinx's life is in danger."

Cyborg quickly got his communicator and began to dial in Kid Flash.

* * *

Kid Flash and Jinx were at the McKinnon Creamery in downtown Jump City, currently sitting at one of the few metal tables in the place. They were splitting a five-scoop strawberry and banana fudge waffle sundae.

For around an hour, the two were talking about their experiences in life - Kid Flash about serving with the Flash and his desire to go solo while Jinx discussed her duration as head of the HIVE Five.

Suddenly, Kid Flash's communicator was going off. Kid Flash answered it and found a very panicked Cyborg on it.

Kid Flash asked, "What's up, Cy?"

Cyborg said, "Get Jinx back to the Tower now."

Jinx popped in and asked, "What's gonna make me, Stone?"

Cyborg replied, "Zatanna's here to kill you. Justice League just informed us."

Kid Flash closed the communicator and quickly grabbed Jinx's hand.

The two raced away from the creamery as an M72 LAW quickly impacted the store, causing a complete explosion.

Suddenly, the two were stopped by an invisible barrier which they were quickly bounced off of.

They turned around to see Claw holding the spent M72 rocket launcher and Zatanna, both very angry.

Zatanna said, "You're not going anywhere Jinx. I've got business to settle with you and I won't have you running from it."

Claw dropped the M72 and grabbed a Remington 11-87 shotgun. He quickly dispensed two shells of buckshot towards the pinkette and speedster.

Jinx and Kid Flash zipped into opposite alleyways as the shells came, missing them.

Kid Flash got up and noticed Claw was headed his way with the shotgun. He quickly backed himself up into a wall, hoping to score an ambush on his assailant.

Zatanna meanwhile was headed right for Jinx and was readying her magic for a fatal blow.

As Claw walked into the alleyway, Kid Flash quickly stole the shotgun from Claw before vibrating it to collapse on itself.

Kid Flash punched Claw twice in the head and ran towards Zatanna, trying to keep her from finishing off his date.

Kid Flash reached Zatanna and tripped her, causing her to fall. With the time, Kid Flash grabbed Jinx and quickly sped off, trying to avoid their attackers and get back to Titans Tower.

Claw revealed a detonator in his hand and pressed it, which caused the road where Jinx and the speedster were near to collapse into rubble.

Zatanna got up and cast a spell towards the two. "Etarapes."

The spell caused the two to be split up, away from each other. Jinx was knocked down on the ground and her leg was stuck in some rubble.

Zatanna cast another spell at Kid Flash. "Esir." Kid Flash rose from the ground and was now hovering in front of Zatanna, unable to use his powers to escape.

Then, Claw grabbed his Mark 23 handgun and shot Kid Flash in the kneecap, causing him extensive pain.

Claw said, "That's gonna hurt, ain't it?"

Zatanna said, "Forget him, Claw. The girl is our target. We'll kill her then finish off her boyfriend."

Kid Flash said, "I'm not her fucking boyfriend! Not yet at least."

Claw said, "And she'll never be."

Claw raised his Mark 23 towards Jinx, preparing to finish her off like an animal, trapped and unable to defend herself.

However, Slade jumped up towards Claw and punched the gun right out of his hands before kicking him backwards away from the pinkette.

Zatanna said, "Slade. Interfering as always." Zatanna began to summon her magic to kill the mercenary that was messing up her plan.

However, Zatanna was surrounded by red-black magic and thrown aside. Raven came into the scene and put down Kid Flash, who she freed from Zatanna's binding.

Kid Flash said, "Thanks, Rae. I owe you big time."

Raven walked over to Jinx and used her powers to free Jinx's leg.

Jinx said, "Thanks Raven. You saved my life."

Raven then grabbed the power suppressor that was still on Jinx's wrist and removed it. Jinx quickly felt around her wrist and noticed it was free again.

Raven said, "You'll need your hexes now. Let's kick some ass."

Jinx got up, standing next to Raven in readying to fight Zatanna and Claw. Slade was also beside them as was Kid Flash, who was wounded from Claw's bullet.

Zatanna said, "It's kind of cute thinking the four of you could beat us. The Four Musketeers, relics, and destined to fall."

Zatanna prepared to launch her magic towards Jinx to finish her off. However, Jinx fired off a hex that hit the fire hydrant Zatanna was next to.

The hydrant exploded out of place and hit Zatanna in the head, causing a massive headache as water poured down on Claw and Zatanna.

Claw said, "Neat trick. But it won't be good enough."

Claw pulled out the Sword of the Crucible and charged at Raven with the intent of killing her. However, his sword was blocked by Slade's scythe.

Slade said, "I hope you weren't expecting to win. Raven restoring me to life nulled the effects of the sword on me. My ability isn't going away."

Slade then swung back at Claw who was forced to defend himself as Slade pushed the fight away from the others.

Zatanna recovered from the fire hydrant attack and cast out another spell towards the three teenagers. "Espalloc."

The spell was about to hit the three when Raven's soul-self caused it to bounce right off and hit a lamp post, causing it to fall down onto the ground.

Raven sarcastically asked, "Really? Another lamp post?"

Raven then discharged some of her red-black energy towards Zatanna, attempting to knock her out. Zatanna expertly dodged Raven's magic with precision and grace.

Jinx fired another hex towards Zatanna, which caused the pavement beneath Zatanna to crack yet Zatanna remained one step ahead and unharmed.

Kid Flash zoomed towards Zatanna, intent on giving her a flurry of hand-to-hand combat. However, Zatanna used his crippled leg to her advantage, enabling her to trip him and force him on his back.

Slade and Claw continued their scythe versus sword duel. The two proved to be well-matched - Claw's sword making up for Slade's experience.

Claw was able to get his sword beneath the blade of the scythe, enabling him to break the scythe in Slade's hands.

Slade responded by putting his foot behind Claw's knee and pushing, forcing Claw onto his back and causing him to drop the sword.

Slade pushed the sword away from Claw, trying to keep it out of his reach. Claw responded by grabbing a shuriken and throwing it at Slade.

Slade's reflexes enabled him to catch the shuriken and he threw it aside, out of Claw's reach.

Claw pulled out a Smith & Wesson Model 500 and fired five quick shots at Slade, hitting him once in the shoulder.

Slade ran up to Claw but Claw then got up and backed away from Slade.

Claw kicked Slade in the head, forcing him down onto the ground. Claw ran away from Slade to pick up his sword.

Zatanna prepared to cast a spell to kill Kid Flash, intent on getting rid of the hellion that screwed up her plans.

Before she could cast the spell, she found her hand was encased by red-black energy that then threw her into a nearby building, away from Kid Flash.

Jinx ran up to Kid Flash and dragged him back towards Raven.

Zatanna got up and walked towards Claw while Slade approached the three teenagers.

Zatanna said, "This was fun, but I'm afraid we have to go. Hsinav."

With that, Claw and Zatanna vanished from view. Raven encased herself, Jinx, Kid Flash, and Slade into her soul-self and flew off towards Titans Tower.

* * *

Starfire arrived back at Titans Tower, landing on the roof where the other Titans were waiting, and they quickly noticed the .338 bullet lodged in Starfire's chest. However, because of Starfire's skin, it wasn't going to penetrate deep enough to do any damage.

Cyborg said, "Welcome back, Star."

Starfire inquired, "What in the name of X'Hal happened to me?"

Suddenly, Raven's soul-self landed on the roof before reforming into herself, Jinx, Kid Flash, and Slade.

Raven simply said, "I can explain."

Beast Boy said, "Go on, Rae."

Raven said, "After Robin was voted out of the Titans, he became angry, furious about the supposed betrayal. Soon, his Nega side took over him."

Bushido asked, "Nega?"

Raven replied, "His negative side. Every person has one. My father had the ability to bring it to life. Anyway, the Nega consisted of his anger, his doubts, his insecurities, his negative attributes. They manifested themselves into him and Robin became a new person - Claw. He wasn't after justice. He was after blood."

Slade said, "I would advise we continue our conversation in the Tower itself. I believe we are much too vulnerable out here, with Claw and Zatanna on the loose."

Raven said, "Yeah, and you guys need healing."

* * *

The Titans plus Jinx, Raven, and Slade walked into the main ops room, which was now secured to finish the story. Raven first removed the bullet from Starfire's chest before using her healing abilities to heal up the damage to her chest. Starfire was now feeling much better.

Starfire hugged Raven tightly and said, "Oh thank you very much so Raven."

Raven, pressed for air, squelched "You are hugging me." Starfire, remembering when Raven last said that, during the Puppet King incident, let go, giving Raven room to breathe.

Raven walked over to Kid Flash and removed the bullet from his leg before repairing the damage with her healing ability.

Kid Flash said, "Thanks, Raven."

Raven walked over to Slade, but Slade was already removing the bullet from his shoulder. Slade removed the bullet and let it drop on the ground. The others then watched as Slade healed himself.

Slade said, "How do you think I am always in this shape? After a battle with you guys?"

Raven snorted slightly in amusement, knowing that this was one of the few jokes Slade would tell.

Argent asked, "Could we please continue with the story, Raven?"

Raven then continued telling what happened. "Robin, now Claw, stole the Sword of the Crucible, a sword designed against demons with other magical properties, from the Church of Blood in Ukraine. He then went to Professor Chang to make a tracker so Claw could find me. Chang made the tracker and then Claw blew him up. Claw went to London, murdered Doctor Thom Delgrado, a local expert on demons, and unleashed Malchior against me."

Beast Boy said, "Did you imprison him like the last time?"

Raven said, "No. I was forced to kill him. Then, Claw tracked down someone I had recently been with - Rose Wilson, aka Ravager and Slade's daughter. Claw ambushed her with the sword, which made it harder for Rose to fight before decapitating her."

Cyborg asked, "So what about Zatanna?"

Raven said, "Zatanna hired Jinx to kill me, knowing that Jinx would fail and we would both die - Jinx from my hand and me at Zatanna's. I helped her escape and brought her here for safety. Zatanna then hired Grant Wilson, one of Slade's sons and also the owner of the Red-X suit to kill me. When he was unable to in Vienna, Zatanna blew up the xenothium inside the suit, killing Grant."

Slade then added, in slight anguish, "Zatanna met up with Claw where she gave Claw the location of Joseph Wilson aka Jericho, and my youngest son. Claw went there and executed him in cold blood."

Starfire, in realization said, "Former leader Robin was the one who shot me then. Dear X'Hal. He must be stopped. Wait a minute, Raven did you know about Jericho's relationship with Slade?"

Raven replied, "Yes. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you rejecting him because of who he was. I encouraged Jericho to become a Titan, and Slade wanted him to be one too."

Everyone looked at Slade strangely. He just said, "I wanted to have at least one person from my family not going down as a villain or a criminal."

The Titans looked at Raven and Slade, realizing what they were up against - an ex-Titan with a mystical sword and a thirst for blood and a rogue Leaguer with impressive magic skills. This would be a very tough fight.


	27. Titans Meeting

**Author's Notes**

To JP-Rider, Robin (or Claw, now) is not schizophrenic nor will he be - he isn't hearing voices in his head. It's more natural instinct just driving his anger, his fury.

To bloodshark, I felt that the lamp post destruction would serve sort of as a nice running gag (like Starfire's bad English) for the act. I am still working out Slade and Raven's relationship - that will make up a fairly significant portion of Act 3, them trying to figure out how strong it is - whether it is as lovers or a surrogate father-daughter relationship.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

After vanishing from the streets, Zatanna and Claw quickly headed towards Titans Tower, knowing very well that Jinx and Kid Flash were there along with the other Titans. The Titans now knew of their involvment, and almost certainly who they were, so it was pretty much now or nothing.

Claw and Zatanna snuck up to the front door of Titans Tower where Zatanna got out her Justice League identification card. The card had an electronic scanner that could allow her to access Justice League bases and their associates, in this case, the Teen Titans.

Zatanna pressed her ID card up to the door, hoping it would activate and allow them entry into the Tower. However, it was met with a red alarm with a REJECTED label on a monitor on the door.

Claw pulled out a grappling gun and aimed for the roof of the Tower.

Claw said, "Guess we're doing this the hard way."

Claw fired the grappling gun at the roof, impacting it. Claw grabbed Zatanna and the two began soaring up to the top of the Tower.

The two reached the top of the Tower and began walking towards the entry door into the Tower. Claw put away the grappling gun and pulled out a semtex grenade.

He threw the grenade at the door, and it stuck instantly before detonating, causing the door to collapse.

Claw pulled out an AKMS with a drum magazine before walking into the Tower, with Zatanna right behind him readying up her magic.

Claw and Zatanna reached the main ops room only to find nobody was there.

Zatanna said, "Aren't the Titans supposed to be here in the event of an alarm?"

Claw said, "Yes. They fucking should be. I designed the goddamn plan."

Suddenly, a voice unseen by Claw and Zatanna spoke "Well the plan's been changed since you left, Claw. Or should I say Robin." Claw knew that voice was none other than Cyborg.

Walking into the main ops room through the sliding door was Beast Boy, now a cougar and Bushido, brandishing his sword. Cyborg popped out from behind the counter, aiming his sonic cannon while Starfire and Argent quickly covered the two side doors, with their powers ready.

Soon after, Kid Flash and Jinx popped in through the side doors and were looking right at the two intruders. Raven and Slade came up through the floor via Raven's soul-self and were now right in front of Claw and Zatanna.

Raven said, "Look what the bird dragged in. Good thing since there's somebody that wants to talk to you, Zatanna."

Popping up on the main television screen was the Martian Manhunter, somewhat unsurprised to see Zatanna there.

"Hello Zatanna", the Martian said.

Zatanna replied, "J'onn. Why are you calling right here?"

The Martian stated, "I was informed a few days ago of a rogue member in the Justice League. Tonight, Raven informed us that it was none other than you. In hindsight, it seemed fairly obvious given your unjustified hatred of her."

Zatanna yelled, "Unjustified? She was going to end all life on this planet! She's pure evil."

"Pure evil is such a strong term. She had her father's evil but her mother's good. She was a pained soul. She only wanted to prevent this fate from becoming of her. Perhaps, she is a more worthy League member than you."

"What are you trying to tell me, J'onn?"

"I suppose you triggered the alarm when you tried using your ID card. Let me explain that. After Raven and Slade left the Watchtower to stop you and Mister Grayson from killing Miss Jinx..."

Claw interrupted, yelling "How the hell do you know my name?"

Slade responded with "You spoke with me after you murdered my daughter, remember? And I know who Batman is. Your identity isn't that hard to figure out."

The Martian Manhunter continued, "Anyway, we took a vote of confidence, and we got a unanimous vote from the League. Zatanna Zatara, your Justice League status is hereby permanently revoked. For your crimes against the planet, you are now named an enemy of the Justice League. They will not hesitate to take you down if necessary. Surrender, and we might be able to lighten your sentence."

Zatanna screeched, "Never. You were swayed by that bitch to thinking she's the good one. No. I'm the one you should be trusting! I got you through so much and now you're trusting the word of that...abomination. She's little more than a freak, just like the rest of you."

Cyborg aimed his sonic cannon at Zatanna, intent on taking her down. However, Claw responded with AK fire, which forced Cyborg to duck.

Claw shot four smoke vents (which were designed as a security weapon) and promptly triggered the release of roughly eight gallons of black smoke.

Raven used her magic to clear up the smoke but then saw that Claw and Zatanna were long gone. Raven tried to use her empathy to track the duo down, but Zatanna still had Red X's jammer, which enabled her and Claw to stay out of Raven's empathic senses.

* * *

With Zatanna and Claw gone, the Titans were meeting in the garage, trying to figure everything out.

Jinx started things off by inquiring, "Hi. After all of what happened to me in the last few days, I would like to become a Teen Titan."

All of the Titans there, including Raven and Slade were aghast by what Jinx was asking. Raven at first couldn't believe what Jinx was saying - she spent years fighting her while she was in the HIVE.

Starfire asked, "So, Raven. What do you think of Jinx joining the team?"

Raven said, "I'm not a Titan anymore, but I can tell Jinx truly wants to become a Titan. Let her apply but she's got her work cut out for her."

Jinx noted Raven's opinion and said, "Thanks, Rae. You really know what to say."

Raven simply said, "You're welcome. I try."

With that, Jinx walked out of the garage, escorted by Kid Flash, back to her bedroom to rest. Tomorrow would be a marathon for her.

Beast Boy then said, "Okay then. I've been getting calls from Mento asking us to track you down, Raven."

Raven asked, "Does this have anything to do with the Brotherhood of Evil?"

"Everything. Mento wants to take you in for questioning - you committed first degree murder of one of the most notorious terror groups on the planet. We are trying to figure out what the hell to do with you."

"So are you bringing me to Mento? Wherever the Doom Patrol is now?"

"No. Mento allowed me to ask the questions here. After that, I have to send the responses to him and the League."

Argent asked, "Isn't this a Doom Patrol affair? Why the bloody hell does the League need to be involved?"

Beast Boy said, "Largely because it's Raven and the Doom Patrol is one of the associates of the League."

Raven said, "Okay, fire away Beast Boy."

"No. Not here. We'll do it in the conference room. Where we can get some space."

With that, Beast Boy and Raven walked out of the garage. Cyborg, Starfire, Argent, and Bushido now looked at Slade.

Slade asked, "Anything you want to tell me? Care to explain?"

Cyborg said, "You do realize that you have a shitload of crimes to answer for. Murder, arson, conspiracy, theft, and that's just what we know you did."

Slade just said, "What would you like to talk about first?"

* * *

In the conference room, which had one long table with around a dozen blue chairs, Beast Boy and Raven sat on opposite sides.

Beast Boy asked the first question, "How did you locate the Brotherhood of Evil?"

Raven replied, "Private HIVE. He was on orders to recruit me. Apparently the original order was to take me out. Part of the reason was because of my power - it was much greater than any of theirs. HIVE tried to attack and I simply used my demon side to force him to tell."

"Explain how your fight inside the Brotherhood went down."

"First I went into the base and I was confronted by an old general in Nazi fatigues with thousands of robot warriors."

"General Immortus."

"I tore up his robots and he charged at me with a cutlass. I smashed him back and broke his spine. Then I faced off a Russian woman that could stretch herself."

"Madame Rouge."

"Anyway, I fought her off and froze her solid. Then I faced a giant monkey."

"Monsieur Mallah. Brain's number two and very smart."

"Anyway Mallah fired hundreds of rounds at me and missed. I used my powers to force him to beat himself up and pushed him into a bunch of boxes, which impaled him to death. Then I confronted the Brain and ripped him apart."

"Holy shit, Raven. I doubt Trigon could do such destruction and in such a manner. Why did you do it?"

"I knew that they would be coming after you guys. I'm not a Titan anymore but I still care about you guys."

"You know what Raven. That may be one of the sweetest things you ever said."

"I guess so, since I don't do sweet. Anymore questions?"

"That's everything. I'll send it to the Doom Patrol and the League. They'll determine your fate."

* * *

Slade was brought into the interrogation room where he was handcuffed and his legs chained to the floor. Cyborg couldn't trust him enough to let him be let free, especially during an interrogation.

However, Cyborg wasn't the one that entered the interrogation room. Instead, it was Bumblebee. Watching from behind the glass was Cyborg with Speedy and Starfire.

Slade started out by saying, "Bumblebee. Brother Blood told me a lot about you. I know what you're thinking, I get around. And he certainly would like to see you again before his circuits wear out and kill him."

Bumblebee said, "Okay then. Let's commence the interrogation. Sparky brought me up to speed."

Slade couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle. "Sparky?"

"Cyborg. Anyway, he told me about you. To expect your mind games and we have a lot of questions to go. Depending on your cooperation, we may be able to keep you away from the firing squad."

"Fire away, Bumblebee. I have nothing to hide."


	28. Loneliness & Location

**Author's Notes**

To JP-Rider, Claw and Zatanna have long left Jump after the were exposed in their ill-fated attack on Titans Tower. Their new whereabouts (and where next chapter's climactic battle) will be revealed during this chapter.

To Xxsnow dreamxX, I try to get stories updated as quickly as I can, but I'm not perfect at it.

To bloodshark, Terra will play a considerable role in Act 3 - like I said earlier, the mystery of her return will be explained at the start of the act. In fact, she will appear in this chapter.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

Bumblebee had at last finished her interrogation of Slade, managing to get him to confess to nine homicides, five arsons, two harassments, and eleven counts of theft, which ranged from a few thousand at a bank to technology thefts worth more than three hundred million dollars.

Bumblebee handed the recordings of her interrogation to Cyborg, who promptly sent it up to the Justice League for analysis.

Before she left, Slade asked, "Would you be so kind as to get me a glass of water?"

Bumblebee's reply was, "How do you drink in that mask? Will you take it off to drink?"

Slade replied, "Enough of it. I can't have you knowing my real face, can I?"

From behind the glass, Speedy quietly added, "True enough. I wonder if there is a record of his face from his army days."

Cyborg commented, "You're a goddamn genius, Speedy. We can use it to try to age Slade enough to figure out what he would look like now."

Starfire said, "Please now. Slade has committed horrible crimes. I do not wish to see his face."

* * *

The Titans were alerted to the fact that the Justice League had reached a verdict onto Raven and Slade's actions. The original remaining Titans were nervous, knowing very well that they could potentially have to take down Raven. However, Slade remained particularly calm.

Raven asked Slade, "Our fates are on the line. How could you remain so cool and collected?"

Slade said, "Trade secret. Let's just say if it is time for me to die, I am ready to accept that fate."

At last, all of the Titans came into the main ops room, ready to hear the results. Coming onto the screen was the Martian Manhunter, the current leader of the Justice League.

He said, "We have reached a consensus about the recent events involving Raven and Slade."

Argent said, when the Manhunter paused, "Go ahead with it. What did you decide?"

The Martian Manhunter said, "Regarding the fate of Miss Raven, taking into account her heritage, Zatanna's earlier actions, her relationship with you, the Teen Titans, and her own actions, we have agreed to allow Raven a pardon for her actions against the Brotherhood of Evil. Even if the way she handled it was not within our standards of decency and morality, she still did remove one of the biggest threats on the planet."

Raven said, "Thank you. And what of Slade?"

The Martian Manhunter then stated, "Ah yes, regarding Slade. The assortment of crimes he confessed to had a large standard deviation, which ranged from the small thefts to a cold-hearted mob execution. One action does not erase his criminal past and we know by now that Slade has accepted this. We have ultimately opted to give Mister Wilson a free pass. We will not pursue him until Claw and Zatanna have been taken down, largely because of the nature of the crimes that had been committed to his children."

Slade responded, "I am much obliged. And what will your involvement be for the pursuit of the two?"

The Martian Manhunter replied, "Because of Zatanna's reputation, we cannot go outright attacking her. When the conflict comes, we will be forced to abstain from it. As you may say, happy hunting."

With that statement, the television screen faded to black.

Starfire, not understanding what just happened, asked "What did the Martian Manhunter mean by that last statement?"

Slade replied, "It means that it will be up to me and Raven to take the two of them down. We are temporary League agents."

With that, the other Titans left the room, leaving Raven and Slade alone.

Raven said, "It's been a long day. We should be getting to bed. They prepared a guest room for us."

Raven began walking when she suddenly noticed that Slade was not following her.

She inquired, "Aren't you coming?"

Slade said, "Raven. Would it be alright if I slept in your bed tonight? I don't want to be alone."

Raven had to think about the statement very hard - what would the Titans think if they saw the two in bed together? They were on opposite sides of the law (or used to be as the line between Raven and Slade began to thin dramatically).

Raven ultimately consented, nodding. The two then walked towards the guest room.

* * *

In the morning, Raven and Slade got out of Raven's bed, which they found was able to fit both of them with ease. Raven put on her cloak and boots while Slade put on his jumpsuit.

The two went to the Titans kitchen, where Cyborg was making breakfast tacos with egg, sausage, and potatoes. Raven made herself and Slade a cup of tea. The other Titans began to walk into the room - Starfire, then Kid Flash, Bushido, Argent, Beast Boy, and Jinx.

Starfire went to the kitchen and grabbed her bottle of mustard and began to drink it. Slade was obviously confused at Starfire, but then again none of the Titans fit the picture of normal.

Slade asked, "Mustard?" to Raven, hoping to get some explanation as to why a condiment is being used as a beverage.

Raven shrugged her shoulders in confusion and simply replied, "Tamaranean appetites are quite different from ours."

Argent asked Raven, "So Raven, how did arrangements with Slade work out last night?"

Raven said, "I think they worked out pretty good."

Beast Boy suggestively asked, "Did you two get it on, if you know what I mean?"

With that comment, some of Raven's red-black energy proceeded to wedgie Beast Boy, causing him some pain.

Slade said, "Beast Boy, we did not have intercourse last night."

Starfire said, "We thought you did, since you two were sleeping in the same bed."

Raven was aghast. "How did you even know? You peeked, didn't know?"

Kid Flash said, "It was hard to resist, but we did have to know. I guess your relationship hasn't gotten there quite yet."

Slade just replied, "Even if it had, I doubt Raven would have wanted to."

Jinx asked, "Raven? Are you a virgin?"

Raven replied, "No. I'm not."

Cyborg finished making the breakfast tacos and began distributing them to the table, starting with Beast Boy's tofu sausage taco followed by the others.

Beast Boy asked, "When did you lose it, Rae? Sixteen? Fifteen?"

Raven, in a slightly upset flat speech, said "Twelve."

The other Titans were shocked to hear this - they could not believe Raven had been a virgin for so long.

Slade nudged to Raven, "Show them."

With that, Raven reluctantly pulled up the sleeve of her leotard to expose seven red marks on her skin.

Argent asked, "Holy shit, Raven. Did you cut them yourself on an anniversary?"

Raven said, "Each mark is burned into my skin after I am sexually assaulted. The one next to my hand was the first, coming in at age twelve. When I left Azarath, there were five marks. When I joined the Titans, the number was up to seven."

Bushido asked, "If you had been attacked that much, why did you tell nobody?"

Raven's reply was, "In Azarath, the perpetrators got away with it because my half-demon nature made me less trustworthy. On Earth, the first rapist I accidentally killed after my climax. The second one I accidentally sent them to my father's realm. I didn't want to feel like a victim. And besides, I doubt any of you even cared."

Kid Flash's next question was, "So did you ever have a child?"

Raven's cold reply was "No. My hybrid nature makes me infertile. I can never have a child because I don't have any eggs."

* * *

After breakfast, Jinx had to begin her Titans evaluation if she were to join the team. The first segment was a one hundred question multiple choice examination based on the police handbook.

Jinx surprisingly knew the handbook very well - while she was in the police station waiting for bail a few months earlier, she found a copy and read it, and apparently a lot of it stuck in.

Cyborg quickly graded the exam and Jinx scored a 74, which resulted in Jinx passing the first part of the evaluation by four points.

The next part of the exam was a run through the obstacle course, which the Titans had redesigned after Terra destroyed it during her initial run. Cyborg yelled "Go!" and Jinx went through the obstacle course.

Her nimble physique enabled her to pass through the many obstacles with ease and her hexes helped her destroy the targets. Her time came in at 102 seconds, which ranked third best amongst the Titans, only surpassed by Kid Flash's 67 second run and Raven's 80 second run.

Jinx asked, "How did I do Stone?"

Cyborg said, "Passing score was a time two minutes or less. Congratulations, you passed the second portion. Just one more test to go, the real-life scenario. I'd say around ninety percent of failures occur here. You better have your A-game."

Jinx enthusiastically added, "I always have it."

* * *

Beast Boy looked up the schedule for Murakami High School and flew over there as a hawk, now looking over at the school. The bell rang, signaling free roam time, which was when he saw Terra a few days earlier.

Beast Boy flew down to an alley and turned back into a human before walking out of the alley towards the high school. Beast Boy never actually experienced high school, since his parents were scientists constantly on the travel and he was adopted by the Doom Patrol at a young age.

Beast Boy looked for Terra amongst the crowds, trying to spot her amongst the other kids in their uniforms, seeing several girls that looked like, but weren't Terra.

He was getting hopeless until he saw a girl loitering around at the corner of the gate, who happened to look exactly like Terra. Beast Boy knew that girl was his Terra.

Beast Boy ran up to Terra, thinking she would be ecstatic to see him. However, he approached slowly, getting goosebumps over seeing her again - he loved her, but her feelings for him were always murky, and she did betray the team to Slade only to send Slade to a fiery grave.

Beast Boy finally got up to Terra and anxiously said, "Hi."

Terra, startled, looked around and saw Beast Boy behind her. Her reply was, "Who are you?"

Beast Boy was shocked. Terra didn't know him? Beast Boy said, "I'm Beast Boy, of the Teen Titans."

Terra said, "Sarah Wyatt. Why did you come to see me Beast Boy?"

Beast Boy knew that Terra's real name was Tara Markov of the Markovian Royal Family. He had no clue why Terra would call herself Sarah. Did she remember who she was?

Beast Boy, becoming less confident and more klutzy, replied, "I thought you were someone else."

Terra said, "Okay. Bye."

With that, Terra, or now Sarah was walking back into the crowd of people. Beast Boy was heartbroken. Terra didn't recognize him. And it looked like she didn't have her powers either.

Beast Boy turned into a pigeon and slowly flew away from Murakami High School.

* * *

After the failed attack, Claw and Zatanna hijacked a plane and flew far away from Jump City, that was until their fuel ran out and they were forced to land.

Claw said, "Fucking planes. They always lack enough fuel to get to the place."

Zatanna rhetorically asked, "Where were we headed, Claw? I don't recall we ever had a destination in mind."

The two trudged through the heavy snow beating down on them, trying to find shelter.

At last, Claw saw a monastery and he and Zatanna ultimately ran up to the monastery, finding it abandoned, it having been that way for close to a century.

Claw opened the door for Zatanna and the two walked into the monastery before closing the door.

Little did they realize was that somebody was watching them from afar, taking note of their identities.

* * *

Raven and Slade were looking for Claw and Zatanna, trying to find them as soon as possible. They knew the longer it took, the farther away the two would get and the more lives put at risk because of them.

Suddenly, Raven got an e-mail from one of her contacts.

Raven told Slade, "One of my contacts just found Claw and Zatanna."

Slade asked, "Where?"

Raven said, "A monastery in Siberia."

* * *

**Next Chapter**: Slade and Raven confront Claw and Zatanna; Jinx faces her final test to become a member of the Teen Titans, and one character has an unexpected relationship development.


	29. Final Test

**Author's Notes**

To JP-Rider, everything is coming into place. The final battle is now afoot and will soon occur. I promise it will be much better than the one from the end of Act 1.

To the guest reviewer, Slade and Raven are still trying to figure out their relationship, but I feel it probably won't be a romantic one, since that is likely what neither of them need right now. You'll soon find out what happen to Slade after the fight with Claw and Zatanna.

To bloodshark, you'll get a little hint to Slade and Raven's relationship at the end of the chapter.

Now, we are finally at the end of Act 2. After this, the next update will have my responses to your reviews to this chapter plus the synopsis of the final Act of the story.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

Raven enveloped herself and Slade into her soul-self and flew to Siberia, where her contact saw Claw and Zatanna.

Raven returned herself back to her human form and let Slade out before heading to meet her contact.

Raven spoke first, saying "Hello Red Star."

Red Star, in his fur hat and military uniform responded, "Greetings comrade Raven. I have spotted Claw and Zatanna. Their plane crashed and they went into the monastery."

"Tell me about the monastery."

"It has been abandoned for around a century after Lenin's revolution. It was stormed by the peasants and has remained mostly empty, only housing occasional peasants as they look for supplies in what remains. Not much remains now. Their best place to hide would be in the former garden in the heart of the monastery."

"It's kind of ironic that it all comes down to a religious location. The difference between my life and death. My salvation and my damnation."

Slade walked up to Red Star and said, "Come Raven. We have work to do. Those two will not escape. They will pay for what they have done."

Red Star said, "Greetings there, Slade."

Slade responded, "Captain Kovar."

With that, Raven began to levitate over towards the monastery, where Slade quietly followed.

* * *

Back in Jump City, Jinx was getting ready for her final test, the real-life scenario. Cyborg came in and began to brief her on the test.

"Okay, Jinx. This is a hostage scenario. Four criminals armed with submachine guns and a dozen hostages with their hands bound and mouths gagged. To pass the test, you have to defeat all four criminals without letting any hostage get hurt."

Jinx said, "Ready to rock this."

Cyborg said, "You have five minutes before the hostages die. Begin."

Cyborg walked out of the room and Jinx soon turned around to see in the window where there were the four criminals armed with MP5K submachine guns and the twelve hostages.

The lead hostile yelled, "We will kill them. We will."

Jinx asked, "What the hell do you want?"

The lead hostile replied, "We want a limo to bring us to the airport, where you will supply us with a charter plane to Cuba. You have less than five minutes to get the goddamn limo."

Jinx began analyzing the situation. She knew if she didn't provide the limo, the hostages would wind up dead. If she got the limo, the criminals would get away and she would fail the test either way.

Jinx however began to conceive a deceptive, tricky plan. It could wind up working but she had to play every card right if every hostage were to live.

First, Jinx acquired the limo from the limo company, since the dispatch company was only two minutes away from the store, which had plenty of gold and jewels.

Jinx brought the limo to the store and yelled out, "Okay you dicks I got your goddamn limo. Get out of the store and leave the hostages."

Jinx got out of the limo and waited for the hostiles to come out. Three of them got out of the bank and climbed into the limo. The lead hostile was walking through the doorway, still aiming his MP5K at the hostages, in case Jinx pulled any funny tricks.

Jinx however began playing her cards. First, she used her hexes on the doorframe, causing it to collapse and knock out the lead robber.

Then she used her hex on the limo, causing it to break down quickly, making it unable to move. The three other hostiles tried to get out of the limo to attack Jinx, but they were trapped inside and the windows were bulletproof.

They tried pushing on the limo to break out but it ended up turning on its side, the wheels now facing Jinx.

With that, Jinx neutralized all four robbers and all twelve hostages were unharmed.

Cyborg walked up to Jinx and began clapping at her. He said, "Damn, Jinx. You impressed me. I thought at least one of the hostages would have wound up dead."

Jinx asked, "You had that little faith in me? And it was still a live exercise."

Cyborg replied, "It wasn't live. The robbers and hostages were all cops willing to play. The store was a fake. The guns were flashpaper and blanks. Did you really think we would put people's lives at stake?"

Jinx said, "I guess not. How did I do?"

Cyborg said, "You got the job done, no fatalities or injured. Minor property damage but not as bad as some of the other testers. I was amazed though that you understood the basics of police work - you couldn't act without risking their lives so you waited. Patience is the key to policework and to this test. Congratulations Jinx, I am willing to bet you will become a Titan."

Jinx said, "Do I get my communicator now?"

"Well we still have to go over your test results, so you're not there yet. You get your communicator when you officially become a Titan."

* * *

Claw and Zatanna were currently sitting in the garden of the monastery, fighting off the cold. Claw brought remains of trees into the room plus coal and other flammable objects to fuel a fire to keep them warm, but it wasn't big enough to attract attention.

Zatanna asked, "How long are we going to be here?"

Claw replied, "When the weather dies down we can move. Try to get to western Russia. There we can continue the move. Hopefully we last that long."

Suddenly, the fire died. Zatanna was surprised, it wasn't her magic doing it, nor was there any wind that could put out the fire, plus there was still enough material in the fire to continue it.

Then the torches on the walls in the garden room lit up, not with purely orange fire flames, but with red, slightly black flames. Claw and Zatanna knew who was doing this.

With that, Raven and Slade emerged from the shadows, now looking at Claw and Zatanna. Raven's hands were glowing with red-black energy while Slade pulled out an 18th century calvalry sword. Zatanna began to charge up her magic while Claw pulled out the Sword of the Crucible.

Raven started things out with "Claw, Zatanna, you two are under arrest by order of the Justice League for homicide, theft, and other assorted charges. Come with us and you will not be harmed."

Claw's reply was, "How about this? Leave us alone and we won't kill you. But we know that won't happen. I can't wait till I have your blood."

With that, Claw swung his sword at Slade while Zatanna began using her magic against Raven. Raven's soul-self blocked Zatanna's magic as Slade and Claw went blow for blow.

Raven used her abilities to grab some of the fuel from the fire to throw at Zatanna. However, Zatanna dodged each one before using her own powers to push them towards Raven.

Raven's powers then proceeded to destroy the flying objects before they could impact and then Raven sent more of her red-black energy towards Zatanna, who managed to avoid it with grace and precision.

Claw used an overhand thrust in an attempt to slice Slade's head in two, but Slade blocked it and then took a swing at Claw's abdomen, which Claw backed away from.

Claw swung his sword back at Slade who blocked every blow like a professional. Claw sliced Slade's leg with his sword, now resorting to deceptive, under-handed practices.

Slade backed away and Claw could only watch as Slade's leg injury healed with remarkable ease. Slade's reply was, "You really thought I would go down that easily. I'm disappointed, Robin."

Claw was infuriated and began to swing back at Slade, yelling "I am Claw. I am not Robin!" Slade dodged Claw's swings and delivered some of his own which Claw barely was able to block.

Claw backed away from Slade, giving himself enough time to pull out a derringer he hid in his glove. Slade charged at Claw but Claw shot him in the chest with the derringer.

Slade fell to the floor, trying to remove the .41 caliber bullet in his abdomen. With Slade occupied, Claw was now free to go after Raven.

Claw signaled Zatanna and she gracefully stepped aside, leaving the fight between the two ex-Titans.

Claw swung away at Raven, who dodged each blow of the sword. As Raven was half-demon, the fighting inhibitor the sword had was ultimately useless in the fight against her.

Raven began dispatching red-black energy towards Claw, trying to knock the sword out of his hands. Claw, however, was able to both dodge the attacks and even cut some of them down.

Claw was able to approach Raven and soon sliced off her right arm, shocking Raven so. Then came her left arm that fell right down onto the floor. In one fell swoop, both of her legs were cut off, sending Raven crashing to the floor.

Claw raised the sword as he delivered the decapitating blow, severing Raven's head from her body.

Claw walked away from Raven, ready to finish off Slade.

Before he could, he began to hear a chuckle, one that Claw knew had to be Raven's.

Raven said, "Did you really think that a mere sword could kill me?"

Claw said, "This is the fucking Sword of the Crucible. Designed against demons."

Raven then added, "You're right about that. However, it was not designed against hybrids. While a human and a demon suffer the fatal effects, I on the other hand, don't."

Claw was shocked as Raven's limbs flew back onto her body and reattached, leaving no trace that they were cut off at all, not even blood or torn fabric.

Raven's head popped back on as the sword line faded away, ready to take down Claw.

Slade was able to remove the bullet from his abdomen and the surrounding area was able to heal almost instantly. Slade got up and wound up facing Zatanna.

Slade said, "Zatanna. At last we fight. You may have won Botswana, but you had the League's help. Now, it's just you and me." Slade picked up his sword and prepared himself for Zatanna.

Zatanna's response was, "Go to hell, Slade."

Slade chuckled, saying, "Already been there. Not dying to go back anytime soon."

Zatanna began throwing her magic at Slade, trying to kill him with all of her might. Slade however managed to dodge her attacks and used his sword to force her to fall back.

Zatanna picked up a Russian sword off of a fallen statue near the garden and used it against Slade, trying to get him but Slade proved crafty.

Raven quickly gained the upper hand in the fight, as with Claw distracted as to the Sword's inability to kill Raven, she was able to force the sword out of his hands and away from him.

Red-black energy surrounded Claw and then smashed him into a wall of the monastery. Claw got out of the energy and soon pulled out a Mauser C96, taking aim at Raven's chest.

Before he could fire, the gun was zapped to bits by Raven's energy.

Claw picked up a rock and threw it towards Raven. However, Raven's energy surrounded the rock and then struck Claw back.

Raven's energy surrounded Claw once again and pushed him onto the wall, making it impossible for him to escape.

Raven said, "You are not getting away. You will pay for what you did."

Claw's cold sardonic reply was, "After you, bitch!"

Claw pulled out a grenade, attempting to pull the pin. Raven knew that this was no ordinary grenade, it was a hellfire grenade, which could destroy her soul-self if detonated next to it.

Before Claw's finger could pull the grenade pin, Raven twisted Claw, breaking his neck apart. Raven, slightly pained by what she did, dissapated her soul-self as Claw fell to the floor, dead as a doornail.

Slade and Zatanna continued their fight, with neither gaining a particular advantage - Zatanna's magic matching Slade's experience. However, Raven soon came into the fight, making it a losing fight for Zatanna.

Zatanna prepared to cast one last spell, trying to kill Raven, "Eid!"

However, before she could finish the spell, Slade hit Zatanna in the head, with the sorceress too distracted to notice. Zatanna fell to the ground, unconscious.

All Raven could say was, "It's over. Joseph, Rose, Grant are all avenged."

Slade added, "And Doctor Delgrado and Professor Chang."

Raven added, "You're right about that."

* * *

Raven grabbed a temporary power suppressor she kept on her belt and put it on Zatanna's wrist, nulling her powers before taking her up to the Watchtower.

At the Watchtower, Zatanna was brought to the Council room, where the Justice League was prepared to decide Zatanna's fate. Batman informed Raven that Zatanna's crimes could result in the death penalty, which would be to thrown out in space until their head exploded from the lack of oxygen.

Raven was in the Watchtower while the Titans, plus Slade and Jinx watched from the main ops room in Titans Tower.

Zatanna was chained to the ground, unable to move or fight the League.

The Martian Manhunter spoke. "Zatanna Zatara, for crimes committed against the Justice League and the Earth as a whole, we find you guilty on all charges. Your sentence is a lifetime prison sentence on Cryo-1."

The Titans knew what Cryo-1 was, it was an orbiting satellite that contained some of the world's worst prisoners, where they were frozen for all eternity. The only other prisoner onboard the satellite was the immortal criminal mastermind Vandal Savage.

Zatanna shrieked, "No! You can't do this to me. I'm a hero. And her, that bitch brainwashed all of you. She's fucking clouding your judgment! She's the bad guy, not me! Lock her away. Better yet kill her! Don't do this to me."

The Atom said, "You misled us for so long Zatanna, you tried to kill an innocent girl, one tainted by the parentage she never wanted, and now you must face the consequences. I was hoping it would never come to this, but it has. Goodbye Zatanna."

Two guards posted on the station grabbed Zatanna and proceeded to drag her to the lower entrance, where the Cryo-1 satellite was waiting to pick her up and carry her for all eternity.

Raven then said, "The world is now a better place now that she is gone. Now we have another concern. How to cover up Richard's death and disappearance. If they find out he was Claw, then Batman's identity would be exposed to the world."

The Flash said, "Don't worry, Raven. I have the perfect idea for a cover-up."

* * *

The Titans were watching the news, plus Raven, Jinx, Kid Flash, and Slade. This particular newscast would have details on what happened to Zatanna Zatara and Richard Grayson, how the League and Raven posted it.

The newscaster, Alexa Murray began to speak on the television.

_"Good evening. Alexa Murray, reporting from Washington DC. Zatanna Zatara, the famed illusionist and member of the Justice League, has been confirmed to be in League custody after a stand-off with former Teen Titan Raven and another classified League agent. Zatara, guilty of murdering Grant Wilson, trying to kill four other people, serving as an accessory to murder, and treason, has been sentenced to life in prison on the Cryo-1 satellite. Her accomplice, Claw, was confirmed to have been completely vaporized in the standoff. Claw was behind the murder of at least a dozen people including Professor Lucien Chang and Doctor Thom Delgrado as well as two children of the mercenary Deathstroke - Rose and Joseph Wilson. In other news, the ward of Bruce Wayne, Richard Grayson, was found dead early this morning in Jump City after a tragic motorcycle accident. Grayson was thrown into a tree and broke his neck. Funeral arrangements are being made by Mr. Wayne."_

With that, Cyborg turned off the television, saying "Okay, so it looks like you covered all the bases - Zatanna, Richard, Claw. Nobody's going to question."

Jinx said, "And with that, the Big Bat is safe from the people wanting his identity. It's a shame. I really do miss Bird Boy."

Raven added, "We all do. We miss who he was before all of this happened. Before Trigon's evil corrupted him and turned him evil."

Kid Flash then said, "Cy, aren't you forgetting something? About a lovely girl's Titan score?"

Cyborg then said, "Oh yeah. Jinx, you passed the test. You are officially a Teen Titan."

Cyborg then gave Jinx her official Titans communicator, which Jinx opened for the first time and was amazed by it.

Jinx said, "Thanks Cyborg. For everything. And now I've got my official partner, isn't that right, Kid?"

Kid Flash said, "Yeah it is. Come on girl, let's do that date right."

Jinx grabbed Kid Flash's hand and the two sped off towards Jump City.

* * *

The next day, the Titans, plus Raven and Slade, flew to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the funerals of Grant, Rose, and Joseph. There was quite an attendance, including all of Rose's HIVE class and several monks that befriended Joseph, such as Chu-Hui.

Slade began the funeral with his eulogy for his children. "Thank you for allowing me to be here today. I was raised to believe that the father was supposed to die before the son. Today I know that is wrong. Within a day, all three of my children were savagely taken from me. Grant, I wish I had gotten to know better, I always ignored him and we hadn't spoken in years when he died. Rose, we were so much alike in life. I would have wanted to name you my successor, but that wasn't going to happen. Joseph, my actions cost him his vocal chords and so much more. If I could do it all over, I'd change everything. But the past can't be changed, as long as I live, I have to live with the guilt of losing my children." Raven sensed Slade was beginning to cry at the end of his eulogy.

Slade sat down and several others gave their eulogies for one or more of the Wilsons, including Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg. Then it was Raven's turn to deliver her eulogy.

Raven quietly said, "I got to know all three of Slade's children, and their deaths was all my fault. Grant was used to try to kill me. Rose was hunted down for my location, and Joseph was executed out of spite. Grant was cocky, always wanting to prove himself better than Robin when he became Red-X. As much pain as he caused us, he did help us stop several of the worst criminals in the city. For that, I am grateful. Rose was calm and smart, managing to keep her head in the game. She proved herself a worthy opponent, managing to remain honest despite her upbringing. And Joseph...the one I knew the best, Joseph was robbed of his speech and communicated only with sign language. He always had a message for peace, one I was taught to try to prevent my dark side from being unleashed. Slade had high hopes for Jericho, perhaps he would have become a Titan as his father wanted, but that will never happen."

Raven stepped down from the podium as the three Wilsons were buried in the family plot, next to Adeline Kane, their mother, who died two years earlier of a massive lung tumor.

After the funeral, the Titans came up to Slade. Beast Boy asked, "So what are you going to do now? After you leave, you will be fair game for us."

Slade said, "Indeed I will. That's why I am leaving the country for the time being. I need to recompose myself. Raven, would you care to join me?"

Raven was stunned - her former enemy was now offering his living arrangements to her!? Well, Slade had freed her from Robin's prison and helped her defeat Claw and Zatanna, and she gave him back his flesh and blood and avenge his family.

Raven walked up to Slade and grabbed his hand. The two were engulfed in Raven's soul-self and flew off.

* * *

At Slade's base in Perth, Raven moved her things into one of the bedrooms Slade had built for guests.

Raven was impressed by the scale and scope of the building, noticing it was very well-built and had almost everything one could want or expect. It was like a dream house.

Slade walked into the base, having been doing some unloading into the anarments and asked, "How do you like the place?"

Raven, stunned, said "Slade, this place is beautiful."

Slade said, "I knew you would like it."

With that, Slade took off his mask and showed his face to Raven for the first time, revealing his well-cared white hair, black eyepatch, and goatee.

Raven said, "You are a very handsome man, Slade. Why hide it behind a mask?"

Slade replied, "Everyone wants me."

Raven's reply was, "And more person wants you."

Raven and Slade then walked up to each other and grasped each other in the other's arms before beginning a long kiss on the lips. It was Raven's first kiss, first loving kiss. She truly felt like she was wanted, and Slade felt that he had somebody to love again.

* * *

**And so marks the end of Act Two.**


	30. Words About Act 2 & Act 3

**Author's Notes**

To Dvlguardian, what you said flatters me, given that there are thousands, if not millions of stories on the site.

To Red-Zenin (your initials told me who you were), I don't think Slaven (Slade/Raven) is unheard of, but if you were expecting a romantic relationship between the two, I can assure you that is almost certainly not going to happen.

Okay, before we continue to the synopsis of Act Three, which will be the final act of the story, there are a few things I would like to inform you to serve as background knowledge. All of these will come up during the Act.

-Slade has a moral code, which he developed during his days as Deathstroke. Regarding women, Slade would never take a contract on a female's life, would never rape a woman, nor would attack to harm them on purpose. He is a killer, but he is not a monster.

-The girl, Sarah Wyatt, is in fact Terra. In the first chapter of this act, everything will be explained about her return - how and why.

-Jinx and Kid Flash have stationed themselves in Central City as the official protectors of the city after Jinx earned her Titans communicator.

-Raven is no longer influenced by Trigon and has since taken up a new cloak to reflect her nature. However, her moral conflict will still be present and play a pivotal role in the story.

* * *

Now here is the synopsis for the final act of _Betrayed, Cast Off, Angry_:

_Two months after the resolution of the Claw and Zatanna attacks, Raven is now living with Slade and their relationship has begun to develop in ways they had never anticipated. Soon after, Raven discovers Slade has been planning something, something big following the deaths of his children, and this plan has the potential to radically reshape the Earth. When the Titans get involved, Raven finds herself forced to confront the intense decision that she has so long buried within - has she resisted her father's evil or has she been overwhelmed by it? And the answer to that question will have ever-reaching consequences to the world._


	31. Returns

**Author's Notes**

To bloodshark, thanks for the review. Act 3 will wind up being bigger and definitely deeper than either of the prior acts.

Just to let you know, once again the narrative structure will change, this time alternating between the third-person omnicient and Slade's first-person flashbacks. The flashbacks will be in italics, so you can identify which is present-time and which is past-time.

Now, let's continue the story and start the final act.

* * *

It's been two months since Claw was killed and Zatanna was captured. The Titans have resumed their hunt for Slade, but are no closer to finding him than they ever have been, especially since Slade has left the country.

At his base in Perth, Slade awakens from his bed and leaves his bedroom before going to Raven's bedroom. Slade could not help to think, _Raven has been able to get some sleep. That's good for her. She needs it_.

Slade walked to the kitchen where Wintergreen gave him his breakfast - honey wheat toast with blueberry jam and a cup of coffee with cream and milk.

Slade ate the toast and drank his coffee while reading the newspaper, which had been tame since the events of Claw and Zatanna. After finishing his breakfast, Raven came in to the kitchen all refreshed, now wearing her black leotard and white cloak, signifying her neutrality and peace.

Raven started out with, "Good morning, Slade. How are you doing?"

Slade replied, "I am doing very good, Raven. After breakfast, I would like to show you something."

After Raven had her herbal tea and some oatmeal, Raven went to Slade's command center. The door was always locked and had a magical seal that prevented Raven from teleporting in.

However, such measures were unnecessary as Raven never bothered trying to get in, opting to let her host have some privacy while he was in there.

The door unlocked and Raven walked in to see a mass of computers and monitors all over the place, plus a carpeted floor, several cameras, and a table.

Raven asked, "What did you want to show me, Slade?"

Slade's reply was, "Raven. I welcome you to my command center. I have eyes all over the planet, whether it be in the Titans Tower to the Watchtower or the White House to the Kremlin. Anyway, I wanted to give you something."

Slade then gave Raven a keycard with her photo on it.

Raven asked, "What is this?"

"A keycard. That grants you entry into this room."

"Why now?"

"I feel that now I can trust you in here. And I want you by my side."

Raven began looking around the monitors, and saw an image of Murakami High School. However, there was one girl on the monitor that stuck out to Raven.

"Terra?"

"Correct my dear. That is Tara Markov, aka Terra."

"How the hell did she get out of the stone prison she was trapped in?"

* * *

_With that, I began to regale the story of Terra's return to Raven. After the deaths of Grant and Rose, I asked Wintergreen to pick up something from Jump City._

_What I had him pick up was Terra's statue from the volcano base that I met my first end in. Wintergreen returned the statue, intact to here._

_I then injected Terra with a serum comprising of some of your magic and the super-serum that is inside of me. Within a few minutes, Terra's stone prison collapsed off of her._

_I watched as Terra regained her form and her color, and the resulting removal of the stone also caused the nanobot suit I designed to fall off as well._

_Terra opened her eyes, unsure of where she was, but she first noticed that she was completely naked, so she covered herself first and then she saw me._

_She asked, "Slade? Where the fuck am I? Why the fuck am I here?"_

_I replied to my former apprentice, "You are in my new base in Perth, Australia. I would expect a little more courtesy from you, seeing as I freed you from your stone prison."_

_Terra's reply was, "Impossible. I killed you. I sent you into a fiery volcano. Even with your healing, you couldn't survive it."_

_My answer to her question was, "You're right, I didn't survive it. However, someone was looking out for me that day. Promised me if I did some errands for him, they would return my flesh and blood."_

_Predictably she asked, "Who brought you back?"_

_I said the response, and I knew what her reply would be. "Trigon the Terrible."_

_"Why did he pick you? Why did he save you?"_

_"Because my task would involve the Teen Titans, and I knew them better than anyone he had seen. I got my first reunion with the Titans around five weeks ago, on Raven's birthday."_

_"Why on that day? Was it random, a coincidence?"_

_"No, it wasn't. You see, Raven is the Gem of Skaath, the daughter of Trigon. Her destiny was to become the portal that Trigon would come in through and end all life on the Earth."_

_"Hell of a destiny. Did the Titans know?"_

_"They did. When they found out the truth, the full truth, in the old Jump library, Robin imprisoned Raven in an inescapable cell. However, I saved Raven from the cell and freed her."_

_"Is the prophecy going to happen?"_

_"No, it won't. The day after I freed Raven, she destroyed Trigon and gave me back my flesh and blood. Raven confronted Robin about it, and the other Titans proceeded to remove him from the team."_

_"It's about time. His leadership was worse than some of Starfire's cooking. So why did you bring me back?"_

_"Because I have a task for you. A few hours ago, two of my children were killed. One by Zatanna Zatara, the other by the former Robin, now called Claw."_

_"What do you need me to do, master?"_

_"Destabilize Beast Boy. I need him to think you have returned. You'll be going undercover in Murakami High School."_

_Terra got up and she moved her arms around, trying to levitate the rocks around her._

_"Did freeing me take away my powers?"_

_"No. You have been a statue for ten months. Your brain activity, while perfectly preserved, did lose its memory of how your powers function, rendering them inert. They will return, but it will be a while."_

_"How long until I can move rocks again?"_

_"Somewhere between six and twelve weeks. Any earlier and you could lose your powers permanently. Do you want to be a normal human for the rest of your life?"_

_"No."_

_"Good. There is a school uniform behind you. I suggest you change into it before leaving the room. There is also your new identity and other things you will need."_

_Terra turned around and looked at the uniform. After slipping on a pair of bra and panties, she looked around to find the identity card. She turned around._

_"My name is Sarah Wyatt? Why not use my birth name?"_

_"That would be too obvious. I can't let Beast Boy know it is you. And besides, you will have to pretend to have no memory of when you were seven and later, when your powers came in."_

_"Why do you need me to destabilize Beast Boy?"_

_"I need to remove the Titans from the equation. I am planning something big, something beyond your mind's imagination. It will begin once your powers return to you."_

_With that, I walked out of the room as Terra changed into her new school uniform._

* * *

After Slade finished his story to Raven, she asked, "You had Terra in a perfect position. Why did you not rape her?"

Slade said, "I may have been a mercenary, but I always had a code. My code forbade me to take a contract on a woman, to rape a woman, or to beat with the intention of purposely harming."

Raven then asked, "Then why did you try to kill me and Starfire?"

Slade said, "The nanoscopic probes were never meant to cause any pain, it was a psychological trick. To make your body think you were in pain, affect your mind. With Terra, I gave specific instructions not to have her kill either of you, only wound and knock unconscious."

"One thing I have to know, how did you find Terra?"

"I found her in Denver, roughly at the same time you were dealing with Atlas. Cyborg proved his worth to save you guys, even though you wound up not needing saving. Anyways, I tracked Terra down, trying to recruit her again. How I saw her was just unforgivable, a low-level punk had attacked and brutally raped her in an alleyway. I intervened and killed the punk. Terra instantly joined up."

Raven got up and began to leave the room. "Thanks for the card, Slade. I need to go meditate."

Before she left, Slade added, "When you tell him about her return, tell him I send my regards."

* * *

Beast Boy watched over Terra at her free period every day for the past two months, studying her, trying to figure out what happened to her.

While he was watching her, someone's shadow began to pop up behind him. He was startled to see it was Raven.

Beast Boy nervously said, "Raven. How are you doing? How did you find me?"

Raven said, "I'm doing fine. I came here to talk to you about Terra."

With that, Raven dragged Beast Boy down to an alleyway, where Terra would be less likely to suspect she was being watched.

Beast Boy first asked, "What are you telling me?"

Raven said, "First, that is in fact Terra. Slade brought her back from her prison a few weeks ago. She has her memories but she doesn't have her powers. That part of her is still returning to her. She's undercover, and I suggest you stay away from her. For your sake and for the Titans'."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I used to be a Titan, remember? Anyway, I'm neutral now so I'm on nobody's side, at least not yet."

With that cryptic remark, Raven phased through the ground as a gray raven.

* * *

Raven returned to Slade's base in Perth and headed towards the gym, which was fully loaded with all sorts of exercise machines, weights ranging from 5 pounds to a ton, and a pool.

Raven walked towards the pool, taking off her cloak and boots to reveal her swimsuit, which was like her leotard only without sleeves and there was a break in the midsection.

Raven jumped into the pool and began to swim laps. Ever since Raven was staying with Slade, she began to build up her strength through swimming, and her progress has definitely shown - her time went from 2:12 a lap to 0:37 a lap, a remarkable improvement even by Slade's standards.

While Raven normally went for the pool and did meditation and more acrobatics, Slade preferred weights and muscle-driven exercises, working to build up his strength.

After twenty laps in the pool, Raven got out and dried off before getting a glass of water.

Slade watched Raven through the cameras in the command center, and that began to bring back memories of Rose.

* * *

_Before Rose went off to the HIVE Academy, I was training her to build her strength and stamina. I wanted to test how much of the serum that ran through my bloodstream went through hers._

_First, I had Rose work on the weights, going to see how much she could lift. The five pound weight was nothing to her, and I kept building up the weights on her. The strain caught up to her at around three hundred pounds. I was expecting her to feel that strain at two hundred pounds. When I was first exposed to the serum, the strain caught up to me at six hundred pounds and now I can lift over one thousand seven hundred pounds without difficulty._

_Then, I tested her speed with a mile run on the track, which comprised a half-mile. Her mile came in at 5:08, which was about what I was expecting. I could do a mile in four minutes. The magic of the super-serum showed itself prominently in father and daughter._

_Third, I had her do a swim, which wasn't my favorite field. However, it was Rose's favorite, and she could do a lap in the pool in just twenty four seconds. It took me thirty nine seconds for a lap, even when I had the serum on my side._

_Lastly was a test of her physical strength on a punching bag. The strength she put in was equal to a level of seven on a level of one to ten. My punching strength was nine._

_I knew Rose had inherited a lot of the super-serum from my blood stream, something Grant didn't inherit while Joseph only inherited part of it._

_Such a shame that they're gone._

* * *

After dinner, Raven went back to her room to read. Before she could fall asleep, Slade came into her room to say "Good night" before giving her a kiss on the cheek, which Raven reciprocated.

Raven fell asleep, having more of the pleasant dreams that have greeted her in recent weeks.


	32. Earth, Air, and Light

**Author's Notes**

To JP-Rider, Slade's plans are very big, you'll know what they are in a few chapters, and this plan will ultimately comprise a significant portion of Act 3. Terra will be involved with the plan, and almost certainly Raven will wind up a key component.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

At her dormitory at Murakami High School, Terra was alone in her room, which was particularly well-furnished with a bed, a desk, a rug, a closet, and a bathroom.

Terra slipped off her school uniform and put on her Titans uniform - the black T-shirt with a T on it plus the tan khaki shorts. After locking the doors to ensure everything was secured, Terra pulled out a communicator with an S on it.

Terra opened the communicator to reveal Slade's face.

"Terra, it's been a while since we last spoke? How are things going?"

Terra replied to her master, "Excellently, Slade. Beast Boy has seen me and has been watching me for the past two months. He thinks its me, but he doesn't know the truth. My powers have yet to return, though."

"I told you they would return in time. They should be returning within the next few days, your brain activity has been readjusting itself and your powers have almost returned. You will know when they returned, as will I. Then stage two will begin."

"How are things going at the base?"

"Good. You have heard that Robin was killed by Raven. Haven't you?"

"Where is the half-demon? There's a lot we need to talk about."

"You're asking for Raven. I'll put her on the line."

Terra waited patiently as Slade left the communicator. Then, Raven came onto the communicator.

"Terra?"

"Hello, Raven. Why the fuck are you with Slade?"

"After Claw's death, he took me in. I'm still trying to figure out my life direction after my father's destruction."

"Honestly, that doesn't surprise me. He seemed to always look at you like a daughter. He only viewed me and bird boy as apprentices, successors. With you, Rae, Slade saw himself, the one that loves the shadows, the enigma, the loneliness."

"I have noticed that too. I think he's trying to have me replace Rose. He's trying to fill the gap in his heart that came in with her death. With all of their deaths."

"Have you heard from the Titans?"

"Yes, Argent and Bushido have replaced me and Robin. Not bad choices and they are beginning to expand their ranks. They've already added Red Star, Kole, Jinx, and Herald."

"Wait a minute. Jinx, the HIVE Five leader, is a Teen Titan? You gotta be shitting me."

"No, I'm not Terra. She fell for Kid Flash, applied, and passed her test. The two are doing well in Central City. Why did you want to talk to me, though?"

"Beast Boy. He thinks I've returned, but I don't know I want to be with him anymore. I'm torn between my love and my master."

"Terra. I can tell you Beast Boy knows the truth. He knows you know who you are, that Slade brought you back, and you're temporarily powerless. However, at the moment, he is the only Titan to know."

"You told him, didn't you?"

"I had to. I'm trying to stay in the middle here. Trying to stay out of their conflict, which I know is coming. What do you know, Terra?"

"All I do know is that it will be world-changing. That is what I know about Slade's plan."

"You do realize that the other Titans will connect you to Slade. Your initials, SW. Slade's name, his full name, is Slade Wilson."

"Okay then, I'll talk to you later, Raven."

"Same here, Terra. Or should I say, Sarah?"

With that, Terra hung up the communicator and put it back underneath her bed, where it would be less likely to be found.

* * *

Raven stood on the roof of Slade's Australian hideout, looking at the sun slowly set on the horizon. She had grown attached to the sunset, beginning to watch it after she escaped from the cell.

Slade walked out towards Raven, standing beside her. Raven turned around to notice Slade.

"I have an errand to run. Corsica. I am telling you because I want you to come with me."

"Who's your target?"

"It's for my new plan, which I know Terra has told you about. I need to pick up something from Doctor Light."

"You want me because I can scare the shit out of him, don't you?"

"Well, that for one. On the other hand, I think you need to get some air. Two months here, it gets kind of tiring, doesn't it?"

"You got that right. You want me to teleport you there?"

"No. I'd rather take a plane there. Feels more natural to me. You're welcome to teleport there."

"I've never been in a plane before, excluding the T-Ship. I'll give it a shot."

* * *

Slade's plane departed from the hidden airpad on the base, headed towards Corsica to acquire something from the Titan opponent with the biggest ego.

Slade hired a pilot who wouldn't report him, since there were countless reports still out for his arrest, enabling him to just sit down for the flight, next to Raven.

Slade noted Raven was having a bottle of iced tea and a turkey wrap while looking out the plane window at the clouds. Raven had never flown up this high before, since being a half-demon does have some requirements for sufficient air.

Slade looked out another window while drinking a glass of whiskey on the rocks he poured. Slade believed that alcohol could chase the pain away after more heart-breaking missions but it wasn't always effective for him.

* * *

_Costa Rica, 1994. It was an incredibly hot day to be in Costa Rica, with temperatures exceeding one hundred twenty degrees. Maybe I should have skipped my formal jumpsuit for something more airy, less hot. _

_However, for the sake of professionalism, I opted to keep on the uniform and my cloth Deathstroke mask. My target, a drug dealer that was paying off government officials - Marco Fernandez. He had bought a third of the country with his cocaine and was selling it both to his own people and to the United States._

_A few honest Costa Rican officials called me up to take out Fernandez. My wife was pregnant with my third child, so we really could use the money. They offered ten million for Fernandez dead._

_After assuring my wife it would be easy money, I flew down to Costa Rica and met up with my contact, Antonio Dimarques. He supplied me with a machete, a medical kit, a Beretta M9, a Steyr TMP machine pistol, some rations, binoculars, a radio, and six shrapnel grenades._

_I traveled to Fernandez's compound in the heart of the jungle, slipping away in his men's vehicles while they didn't notice. I reached the compound without difficulty and did a quick survey._

_At least a dozen guards. Four on the rooftops with Remington 700 sniper rifles, four on the upper balcony with M16A1 rifles, and four on the lower level with SPAS-15 shotguns. And that was just from my viewpoint. Knowing Fernandez, he would have at least sixty guards. What the fuck did I get myself into?_

_I crawled my way towards the base, staying out of the sniper's paths. I used the radio to listen in onto their locations and other messages. That bought me time to slip into the base undetected._

_First, I snuck up onto the patrol guard and stabbed him in the throat with the machete. I continued on through the lower level, using my fighting training to subdue the guards that I came across._

_After taking out every guard on the first floor, I reached the staircase and began to climb up. However, after climbing a few stairs, I had been made. I faced a lot of gunfire down the stairs, all trying to kill me. I pulled out the TMP and began firing at every asshole that tried to kill me._

_One thirty-two round clip was enough to handle four soldiers. I reloaded the TMP and continued my gunfight, but as the guards began deploying body armor, I knew I was outgunned._

_With only three rounds left in my last TMP clip, I took aim at one of the grenades on a guard's armor. All three rounds impacted and killed several soldiers._

_I discarded the TMP and pulled out the Beretta, hoping to dodge the other guards. However, I wasn't so lucky when one guard put two rounds in my arm with his M16. I quickly responded with a round between his eyes. I backed into a closet to remove the bullets in order for my body to heal the damage._

_After that, I got out and reached the elevator to Fernandez's office, which was not only surrounded by so many guards, but required a retinal scan and a thumbprint just to get in._

_I entered the elevator and it began to go up towards the office. While the elevator was in motion, a thug emerged to try to eliminate the intruder, which was me. I pulled the M9 on him, but he knocked it out of my hands._

_I punched him in the head but he smashed me against the wall. It was an all-out brawl as we exchanged blows. He was pretty damn tough, but I would never give up to the likes of him._

_After I broke his neck, I grabbed the M9 and exited the elevator to reach Fernandez's office. I noticed there was a window and I peeped in to see Fernandez. I fired a round into it and it broke the window. I jumped in to see Fernandez, who was holding in his embrace a young boy who I learned was one of his runners._

_Fernandez begged for mercy but I then shot him in the throat, ending the man's life. A second later, I learned that the boy was Fernandez's son. I murdered a man in front of his only child._

_After using the shrapnel grenades to blow up his cocaine fields, which was a suggested task for me by my employers, I left the compound and headed back to the city._

_That night, I drank four bottles of whiskey and two bottles of tequila in my pain. I thought I could drown out the pain with liquor, but it could never remove the hole in my heart. One part of my code includes never killing a man in front of his family. I broke that rule._

* * *

The plane landed in Corsica, and Slade and Raven emerged, looking for Dr. Light, their target. Slade's lead indicated that Light was in the quarry on the south side.

Raven teleported Slade there, where they say Doctor Light performing experiments on some rock, hoping to find a conductor of light.

The doctor said, "There has to be one rock here that serves as a conductor of light. There are conductors of electricity and of heat. Why can't there be one for light?"

Slade and Raven popped up behind Dr. Light. Raven said, "Because light cannot pass through solid objects."

Light turned around the second he recognized that voice. It was of the one person that he feared the most. The one that put him through therapy just to deal with the pain.

Light nervously asked, "What do you want from me, woman?"

Raven's reply was, "It's not what I want. It's what he wants."

Slade walked up to Dr. Light. "Arthur, it's been a while."

"Slade. What do you want from me? Don't kill me!"

"I want your files on the provosional blank effect. My new plan will require your files so I can achieve provosional blank."

"It's at the computer down in the quarry."

Light proceeded to escort Slade down towards the quarry, where he had the computer with the files on the provosional blank. A provosional blank could cause a massive rippling of the Earth's crust if done properly. Countless planets had been destroyed after bad provosional blanks. Light's research could have the key to doing one properly and not naturally.

While Light brought Slade to the computer, Raven quietly followed, wanting to see where this emerged.

At the computer, Light inserted a flash drive that downloaded the files on the provosional blank. When the download was complete, Light gave the flash drive to Slade, intending to send him on his way.

However, Light then pulled out a light gun, one that discharges light, and aimed it at the former mercenary's head.

Before he could pull the trigger, Slade turned around and threw the gun onto the ground, destroying it.

Slade then proceeded to attack Light, punching him repeatedly in the head and chest. Light, who was cut off from his suit (which was under much-needed repairs), was helpless as Slade pounded upon him.

Light aimed a punch at Slade but Slade responded by kicking him into the ground. All the while, Raven watched in shock. She didn't want Slade to kill the doctor, but she feared what would happen if she interfered.

At last, Slade lifted Light into the air before tossing him back down onto the ground. He picked up a large rock and then smashed it repeatedly against the doctor's head, spewing large amounts of blood and brain matter everywhere.

With Dr. Light dead, Slade calmly walked away from the scene with the flash drive of Light's data on provosional blank.

Slade emerged a short distance away from Raven. Slade said, "I want you to make me a promise."

Raven said, "Name it."

Slade then said, "The second you feel I have gone out of control, the second you feel I am a danger to myself and everyone around me, the second I have become too dangerous for you, I want you to end my life. Can you do that, Raven? Will you promise to kill me if I've gone too far?"

Raven had to think about it for a minute. Would she be able to take a life, of someone she cared about? She did it with Claw, but that was in self-defense. This would be more like murder or manslaughter.

Raven grabbed Slade's hand and simply said, "I promise."

With that, Raven and Slade teleported back to the airport where the plane was waiting to take them back to Australia.


	33. Liquids

**Author's Notes**

To bloodshark, I am still working out Raven and Terra's relationship, but I really doubt it will be a lover relationship. I think Slade is about as powerful as he is going to get - he really doesn't need any more strength for what he is planning.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

At Titans Tower, the Titans were watching the news about the death of Doctor Arthur Light. On the main screen, the reporter was giving the news brief.

_"Good evening. This is Alexa Murray, reporting from Corsica, where famed illumination expert and thief Doctor Arthur Light was found dead less than two hours ago. Preliminary reports suggest that the doctor was repeatedly beated about the face and chest before his head was bashed repeatedly with a rock. Local authorities have yet to identify a suspect though with the lack of evidence."_

Beast Boy said, "Something tells me Slade was connected to Light's murder."

Bushido replied, "What makes you think that it was Slade?"

Cyborg added, "Raven did always have a problem with Doctor Light. She did cause him to suffer a lot of therapy and jail time. I am amazed Light was able to even escape."

Beast Boy said, "Raven's with Slade. So, theory is that Slade brought Raven along to Corsica."

Argent asked, "Have you seen Raven lately?"

Beast Boy thought about it for a little. If he told them he saw Raven, they would know about Terra. "No. I haven't seen Raven since Jericho's funeral two months ago."

Suddenly, the alarm rang. They had trouble in Jump City. Cyborg brought up the crime report and said, "Titans go. We got to deal with Andre LeBlanc."

* * *

Slade and Raven's plane returned from Corsica back to Australia. It was about 11:30 AM when the two got back, and Wintergreen greeted them with French onion soup and corned beef sandwiches.

While having lunch, Raven asked Slade, "What exactly are you doing? I know a little about provosional blank, so why do you need to reshape the Earth's surface?"

Slade took a bite of his sandwich and said, "That isn't your business, Raven. Not yet at least."

"When will it be my business? When will you tell me what you are doing that also involves Terra and destabilizing the Titans?"

"When I deem it prudent. You told Beast Boy about Terra. I need to know if I can trust you before I tell you."

"Figures." Raven then put a spoonful of soup into her mouth.

"What have you been doing in your time here, my dear?"

"Reading, meditating, training. I've improved my swimming dramatically and am building up my physical strength."

"How much can you lift my dear?"

"Just using my human strength. One hundred forty pounds. With my demon side, just over a ton."

"Just about what I can lift with my full strength, with the super-serum."

"The serum enhances your human attributes, making you the perfect soldier. How many super-soldiers did they make?"

* * *

_August 1982, a secret facility in Colorado. I had signed up for the army when I was sixteen, and they accepted my fake identification, especially since my family was well-known for their volunteering in America's military conflicts. My grandfather, Lucas was one of the first Americans to join the Army for World War I, and he retired ten years after the War as a Major. My father, Eric was already in the Army when World War II began, and he served the entire war as a front-line infantryman in Africa and Italy and continued to serve in Korea, retiring as a colonel in 1957. My older brother, Felix served for four years in Vietnam and survived the war._

_I had a proud military tradition to uphold, and I had been with the Army for eight years when I was selected for the super-soldier experiment by the head doctor. I went from the Second Infantry Corps to the First Broadsman Squad, which was designed for the super-soldiers._

_Thirty-two soldiers in all were put into the squad. This was the first time the serum was used, so there was no telling how effective it would be. They didn't know how many would survive to serve the country another day._

_The commander of the unit was Major Adeline Kane, with whom I was rather smitten with upon meeting. She first rejected my advances, given that I was only a lieutenant and she was a major._

_All thirty-two soldiers were given the serum at the same time and then observers were placed in order to ensure everyone's safety and see their progress of the serum._

_In the first twenty-four hours, twelve of the thirty two men died from the effects of the serum. The others, including me, were in pain from the serum, trying to adjust to its effects._

_By the end of the second day, only nine of us were left alive. They looked at us and I saw my strength exploded, my stamina increased, my reflexes enhanced. I could sense a fly on the wall two hundred yards away in a building covered in sheet metal._

_Then, they began to test us, to see if the serum truly created super-soldiers. One of the remaining nine died when he pushed his boundaries too far._

_The remaining eight of us were put into battle under Major Kane, where we were sent to overthrow the government of Zandia, the Church of Blood. That's when I first encountered Skaath and learned about Trigon._

_In the mission, we deposed the Church and replaced it with an America-sponsored president. However, the Church's leader, Sebastian, fled the country. It wasn't until three years ago that I learned that Sebastian had taken helm of the HIVE as Brother Blood._

_However, the mission didn't come without casualties - two of the eight were killed while three, including me were wounded. While recovering, I discovered my healing attributes had come in, where I recovered remarkably quickly._

_Afterwards, the six of us were reassigned as leaders of other units. I was promoted to captain and reassigned to the Twentieth Infantry Company as the leader._

* * *

After lunch, Raven went back to the gym to train. This time she was working on her speed running. Levitating, she could cruise along at almost any speed, up to one hundred miles an hour. Running, she couldn't do much more than six miles an hour.

When she first began training, her mile came in at 10:55, which was the slowest of all of the Titans - Beast Boy was the fastest at 5:48, followed by Robin at 6:14, then Starfire at 7:01, and Cyborg at 8:33.

However, she began to build up her endurance, beginning to unleash her demon onto herself, allowing her greater strength and speed. Her time to do a mile plummeted from under eleven minutes to 6:52 in the two months she was there.

Today, she was trying the double course, which was both a one mile run with barricades to take down. When Slade did the double course, he normally used a Smith & Wesson 4006. Raven was going to do it using her powers.

The course started and Raven began the run. Roughly a tenth of the way through, she encountered four bullseye targets, which she blasted down using her gray energy. Along the way, she encountered targets popping up from the floor, from the walls, from the roof, and on the course themselves.

Raven's gray energy enabled her to take down all the targets as she ran. At last, her time came in at 6:04, which she was impressed with. It took Slade 6:59 to run the double course, but then again, Slade was using a gun that he needed to aim, fire, and reload while Raven was exclusively using her powers that she could use on a whim.

After the run, Raven went to the locker room and took a shower to wash off the sweat that accumulated on her after the course. She took her time in applying the soap and shampoo. After washing down her body, she put back on her cloak and leotard before heading into her room to read a book.

* * *

In his command center, Slade was looking at the monitors, watching Beast Boy continuing to watch over Terra. Slade knew that the changeling harbored deep feelings for his apprentice, but Terra was unsure of her own feelings for Beast Boy.

Slade turned on another monitor to see Billy Numerous, who was currently running six robberies at the same time in New Orleans. Slade thought to himself, _Hillbilly Billy. What the heck could you want to find in the Big Easy?_

Then, Slade got his answer - Billy had stolen two canisters of concentrated Bohr acid, a very rare substance which Slade had been looking for.

Slade pulled out a phone which could not be tracked and hacked into Billy's cell phone, calling it.

Billy answered the phone, asking "Hello? This is William Nomeral. Who is this?"

Slade simply stated, "A buyer. For the two canisters of Bohr acid currently in your hands."

Billy asked, "How do you know that? Nobody's looking at me? Are you a cop or something?"

Slade could not help but notice Billy's dim-witted nature, it reminded him a bit of Starfire, though she was more naive than dumb, while Billy was a complete imbecile.

Slade said, "No. I just happen to have all the right pictures. I'm looking at you Billy. Put the two canisters into the mailbox on Duvall Street. The passcode is 9492. You have ten minutes."

Billy cockily asked, "Or else what?"

Slade's chilling reply was, "Or else I hunt you down and cut you open piece by piece. I promise you, I can do that if I have to. The mailbox, now."

With that, Slade hung up and proceeded to watch as Billy delivered the canisters over to the mailbox. Billy pressed in the passcode Slade gave him and then inserted the two canisters.

The mailbox closed and Billy walked away. Slade was satisfied at the moment. He now had the two canisters of Bohr acid, which he needed for his new plan.

* * *

_December 1985, I had been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and was now the commanding officer of the Ninth Army Regiment. Now, I was dating my former commander, Adeline Kane. Ever since I had become a major, we had begun dating and she was now able to return my advances._

_Before I could go on Christmas leave with Adeline, I was sent on a mission to the Polenta Nuclear Plant in Estonia. The mission was to acquire liquid xenothium the Soviets were gathering and developing for their reactors. If they could successfully use the fuel, they could launch rockets farther into space, power their plants twice as efficiently as they used to, and make weapons ten times more destructive._

_I was inserted into Estonia with a Kiparis submachine gun and was tasked with killing everybody there and retrieving their samples of liquid xenothium. It was twenty below fucking zero, making it a very cold mission for me. Thank God my Deathstroke mask was cloth, not metal. I'd have frozen my ass off before I completed the mission and returned to Adeline._

_I broke into the plant and quickly mowed down the guards present, which was much lower than intelligence suggested a week earlier. It was probably a holiday in town, which the Soviets obviously approved of._

_I found the liquid xenothium, which they had generated ten quarts of. This much xenothium could have launched a rocket into space and it would have enough fuel to reach Saturn and back. Or create a weapon capable of destroying five hundred thousand square miles of land._

_I stole the canisters, being careful as to not trip the xenothium, since if the ten vials impacted something, like say each other, the consequences would be nothing short of catastrophic._

_Before I could leave the plant, I noticed that the city had suddenly gone into lockdown. This was not a mission, this was a fucking sting. I looked at the vials of xenothium, and it wasn't xenothium - it was nitroglycerin._

_I locked myself inside the control room, looking for something that might allow me to figure out who fucked me. I checked their files, looking for whoever I felt was familiar._

_One name stood out - Richter Loustag. The bastard was the one who gave me the fucking mission. I learned that he was actually the head of the plant and was trying to give justification for a Soviet strike on the United States._

_I discovered that the liquid xenothium was stored at the bottom of the base and I went downstairs to retrieve it, discovering one four ounce vial of the liquid fuel._

_I surveyed the place, seeing two tanks and a dozen Soviet infantrymen. I grabbed the nitroglycerin, which they intended to kill me, and then tossed it at the tanks, which took both of them out with six of the canisters._

_The other canisters killed the infantrymen and I stole a Soviet motorcycle from the dead troops, using it to reach my insertion boat and sailed it off to Finland._

_I would find Richter Loustag a few days later and gave him a cut to his wrists, which killed him instantly. Revenge is a dish best served bloody._


	34. Plans Change

**Author's Notes**

Thank you for your patience during my hiatus on _Betrayed, Cast Off, Angry_ and for reading _Broken Bird._

To mazyeyes123, XPG HEADCASE, Xxsnow dreamxX, thanks for your reviews and support.

To bloodshark, Raven is probably going to stay out of the fighting for a while, until the end of the Act probably. She needs to get her things together and deal with her own moral issues, especially with Slade and her former friends.

To the guest, you'll see what happens to Raven soon. Regarding Terra, things are going to get much more complicated between her, the Titans, and Raven. Terra and Raven will not be lovers, but they probably won't be fighting like they did in _Aftershock Part I_.

And just to let you know, this will probably be my longest story, as I will avoid doing stories of this length. It is just very difficult to keep momentum going into the thirty-fourth chapter. Also, while I am resuming the story, don't expect the regular updates that you were used to pre-hiatus.

Now, let's continue the story for the first time in almost two weeks.

* * *

Slade picked up the Bohr acid he ordered Billy Numerous to give to him. After Billy put it in the mailbox, which sent it almost immediately towards Slade, Billy was cornered by at least a dozen cops armed with Beretta 92FS handguns.

Slade watched as the HIVE hillbilly was handcuffed with the temporary power suppressor and slammed into the cop car. Based on his crimes both down there and in Jump City, Billy was facing at least a decade in prison.

Slade put the Bohr acid into a refrigerator, where it could stay at a low temperature, as Bohr acid was known to be incredibly volitaile at high temperatures, actually incinerating at 100 degrees F.

Slade began to prepare two identical tanks, both could store up to thirty gallons of the most corrosive materials on Earth. Slade had already gone through eight other identical tanks trying to figure out how exactly to do it. Fortunately, he had dozens more if he needed it.

He cut the top off of the first tank before putting the second tank right on top of it. Slade then grabbed his special-made glue, which was a gaseous powder in a spray bottle, and applied it to the two tanks.

The two tanks were then attached together, much like he had done before. Now, he hoped that these would work unlike the other tanks. After a minute, the tanks did not fall apart - something that happened to the prior tanks Slade had tried.

Slade moved the completed tank to the side, having completed the first component of his master plan. He soon began work on another tank much like the original.

* * *

After the recent events that transpired with Slade, Raven knew she needed to see somebody about these events. However, there was really only one person that Raven knew she could talk to about this.

Raven traveled to Salem, Massachusetts, a place she typically avoided. Why? Because one time Beast Boy accidentally tripped something in her room - a sandglass, that caused Raven to be brought to Salem 1692, during the witch trials.

Because of all of Abigail's accusations, Raven quickly found herself as a witch suspect and the display of her powers quickly proved that she was a witch (a term Raven generally takes with disgust, seeing how that is an inaccurate term).

Had it not been for Doctor Fate, who had finished building his Tower outside of the city, Raven would have been burned alive in hellfire, as they had restraints that ultimately nullified her powers.

Raven could not help but avoid the center of Salem, as that was where she remembered being almost executed by Judge Danforth. Fate later helped give Raven some revenge, helping Raven track down Abigail to 1715 Boston, where she banished Abigail's soul to Trigon's realm.

Raven arrived at the tall Tower of Fate, which was both existing and not existing in the plane. It saw everything on Earth but it could not be destroyed or affected by any event on Earth. As a result, Fate's tower is one of the safest places on Earth.

Raven knocked on the door, something Fate told her to do if she were to return to his tower. The door then swung open, unhindered by anybody, and Raven walked in. The door closed behind her as Raven walked into the center of the main room.

"Come up, my dear." Raven knew that relatively soft voice belonged to the reason of her visit - Doctor Fate.

Raven walked up the staircase, but as she walked up each step, she began to be pained. Raven commented, "Order stairs. Nice touch, Fate." Each stair took some of Raven's power while she was in the Tower, a protective touch Fate designed in the event of an attack.

Unfortunately, for Raven, it also meant she would be pretty much powerless as long as she was there. Her astral projection and telekinetic constructs were unusable, and really the only thing she could use was her healing - a power beneficial enough as so it generally wouldn't be removed by the Order stairs.

Raven reached the top of the staircase, but her left hand and her feet were both burning with pain as a result of the walk. Raven began healing herself as she walked into Fate's spell room.

Raven inquired, "Doctor? Are you home? Nabu?"

Fate then appeared in a corner out of Raven's line of sight, and he was wearing the helmet that contained Nabu - one of the Lords of Order, which both provided Fate with his intelligence but with his sense of reason.

Fate greeted Raven, "Welcome back, Raven. How have things been?"

Raven said, "Better, especially considering you pulled me out from a hellfire about to burn me."

Fate's response was, "I knew your importance in preventing the return of Skaath. So, I dragged you back to my Tower and healed you up."

Raven asked, "Then why send me after Abigail?"

Fate chuckled before saying, "Because Abigail was one of Trigon's scouts. She was born to cause panic within Salem, threaten the destruction of the community, and soon enough the world. She could not live on this planet. She needed to die. And in every scenario, you do wind up killing her."

Raven chose not to ask why, knowing that Fate would probably give her a confusing answer that perplexed even her very magic-versed mind.

Raven said, "And as you undoubtedly know, my father is dead at my hand. His power now runs through me."

Fate asked, "Why did you switch to the white cloak? After Trigon's death, your cloak became red. Why is it not red?"

Raven replied, "My clothing has a magical property that it changes color based upon my emotional state. Around seven weeks ago, my cloak turned into white when I got farther from my father's influence. When I reach the state of complete emotional control, I will be pure white, and I will have complete control. However, there are still issues pressing my mind."

"Slade?"

"Yes. A few years ago, he was the guy that me and my friends hated."

"The Titans, all of you?"

"Yes. But now, he's becoming more like a father to me. More than Trigon ever was. And I feel like I'm filling a void in his heart left when his children were murdered."

"By Robin and Zatanna."

"Robin's numb-skull mind made him think he was always right and justified. So, he got angry when the Titans kicked him out for imprisoning me. And then, he became Claw."

"That explains how I saw Claw killing innocent people."

"Another one of your visions, Doctor?"

"Yes. I also saw one of the rogue Leaguer, which I know now was Zatanna. I should have seen it coming, long before she murdered Grant Wilson. She was much like Robin."

"And she could only believe a person who bore another's evil could only be evil themselves. That they could not carve a path for themselves."

"Anyone can carve a path for themselves. Look at yourself and Jinx. You two were not born on the side of good, and look at you now. Raven, you destroyed Trigon, you prevented the end of the world. And Jinx, she's in a committed relationship and a Titan."

"I'm surprised that it lasted this long. Kid's normally a one-night stand kind of guy."

"Well, Raven, here is what I would suggest for you. You need to know where your allegiances lie. Who you can trust. Who you love. It may take you the rest of your life, it may only take a day, but one day you will find out."

"Thank you, Doctor Fate."

With that, Raven left Fate's room and began walking down the stairs, slowly regaining her powers as she left the Tower.

After stepping out of the Tower, Raven's powers were back and she teleported back to Slade's base in Perth.

* * *

_Singapore, 1999. The eve of the new millenium, the Y2K bug was becoming a concern for everybody, especially at the Taka Company in Singapore. Officially, I was off-duty but unofficially, I was sent to steal a high-tech program the company was developing._

_I had spent the last six years building my personal image outside of the military life, developing Wilson Technologies, a high-tech manufacturing company. Of course, that was a front for me to launder my mercenary paychecks. At that time, I was married to Adeline and had my three kids - Grant, Rose, and Joseph._

_With Wilson Technologies becoming a major name in the business, the CEO of Taka - Yoshi Nguyen, invited me to the Millenium Party. I promised Adeline that I would be back in time for our own New Year's party._

_During the party, I would excuse myself to go to the bathroom. In reality, I would be heading up to the company mainframe to plant a bug inside of the system. That way, I would be able to retrieve the program for the US government and then cover up the theft by causing the bug to crash the system at midnight._

_The first part of the plan went, well, according to plan. I slipped out of my business suit and into my Deathstroke uniform, with a blowgun with tranquilizer darts._

_There were of course dozens of guards that were on station tonight, so I couldn't take them all out with the blowgun. So, I shot one guard with the blowgun, causing the other two to run towards him, giving me a window to sneak through._

_I repeated this strategy for all of the guards until I reached the mainframe. I opened up the main computer to insert the bug. I typed in the necessary codes, causing the Y2K compliance protocols to be erased from the system. In seconds, I was able to download the program onto a portable disc._

_I slipped out of the mainframe unnoticed and I returned to the bathroom where I put back on my suit and returned to the party, just in time for midnight. When 2000 struck, the company's computers instantly hit an error, causing them to shut down and the company network was totaled._

_Nguyen was unable to figure out what happened, and still does not know. He went bankrupt a few days later and was soon hired as a low-level processor at a technology firm in Borneo._

_I returned to the United States that day and made it back to my house and family just before midnight. Mission accomplished._

_With the disc, I later made a copy of it for myself before giving the original to the military to receive my paycheck. The program enables the user to hack into satellites all over the globe, and that proved most useful during my time in Jump City._

* * *

Back at Murakami High School, Terra was back in her room, having watched Beast Boy watch her for a while (though the changeling did not know he was being watched).

She then pulled out a rock and then tried to manipulate it, as Slade said her powers should be returning any day now. She was hoping they would be back so she didn't have to go to this school anymore. She hated going to school the first time around, as everybody in her school hated her for the "accidents" she would cause.

And to Terra's mild surprise, her hands bathed in a yellow glow as the rock was moved through the air. She moved it in an S pattern, knowing that her powers had very well returned.

Terra put the rock down before changing out of her school uniform and into her Titan uniform. She pulled out her communicator to Slade and activated it.

She said, "Slade, my powers are back."

On the other side, Slade said, "Good. Phase two will begin shortly. I'll send Plasmus tomorrow."


	35. Old Names & New Faces

**Author's Notes**

Okay, if you were not aware of it already (which I am willing to bet you aren't aware), I updated _Betrayed, Cast Off, Angry_ last night with chapter 34 "Plans Continue", replacing the "Temporary Adieu" that has been there for less than two weeks.

To put it plainly, you should read the previous chapter if you have not done so already, as it has elements to it that ultimately prove major in this chapter.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

Raven was resting in her room at Slade's base, trying to sort out what Fate had told her, unaware of the full vision Fate had two months prior.

She was beginning to grow restless, tired of being cooped up in Slade's base for so long. But she didn't have anywhere to go - she was dead certain the Titans wouldn't be the most receptive if she returned, and she didn't want to return to the nomadic lifestyle she spent in the month after her split with the Titans.

However, she soon noticed she was getting a call. Before she departed with Slade, Beast Boy gave her a communication device - not quite the communicator, but something similar.

Raven teleported to a cliff roughly two hundred miles from Slade's base before answering the call. She didn't want her call to give away Slade's location to the Titans.

She flipped open the device to see Cyborg on the line. She opened with, "Hello, Cy. How are things going with the Titans?"

Cyborg said, "Good. Though Beast Boy is having some issues - I think he's distracted with somebody."

Raven snorted, "Tell me about it. Anyway, why are you calling?"

Cyborg said, "We got word from an unknown source that there are three metahuman children in danger of being captured for experimentation."

Raven inquired, "Who's after the kids?"

Cyborg replied, "Brother Blood. He escaped from prison a week ago. We need you to bring them to a safehouse off the grid."

Raven asked, "Where am I taking them?"

"A monastery outside of Bucharest, Romania. There, they will be safe. They are currently in Budapest, Hungary."

"Why me?"

"You're all we've got at the moment. Plus, we know you can handle Blood. His powers came from Trigon, which means he can't hurt you."

"Or that should be the theory anyway. Okay, I'm in."

With that, Raven closed the communication device. She teleported back to Slade's base to inform him she had an errand to run and wouldn't be back for a while.

Slade permitted Raven to go and she was off to Budapest, looking for the three children she was escorting.

* * *

Meanwhile, Argent was riding a crimson energy glider, looking for the person she was sent for. The Titans had been growing their strength in the past month or so, adding Kole, Gnarrk, and Red Star on Raven's suggestion, as well as Herald. And things were busy around the globe, which necessitated Raven having to play babysitter.

Argent stepped down onto the rocky ground, her glider vanishing. She knew that the person she was looking for was roughly ten miles north of there.

So, Argent created a crimson skateboard and began riding it towards her destination. Argent soon began to notice she was in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and that it was very populated right about now.

Fortunately, Argent knew where she was going, an underground lucha libre ring at the edge of the city. When she arrived at the arena, the bouncer asked for a password.

Argent replied, "Colorido." Spanish for colorful, the bouncer let Argent as she looked for her person - one of the wrestlers, and one of the best. They discovered that this person was also raising money for a nearby orphanage and hospital and fought invaders to save kids.

Argent reached the ring, where dozens of people were placing bets on the match down below. It was between Lord Muerto and Pantha. Argent immediately knew that she had found the one she was looking for.

And from the looks of it, she was looking for the winner, as Pantha was slamming repeatedly into Lord Muerto, a supposed champion wrestler, who was getting his butt kicked by a true champion, Pantha.

Pantha at last smashed Muerto into the ground and pulled off his mask, revealing his black hair and mustache. Pantha had won, and everybody who bet on her - a whopping four people, made a lot of money.

After the fight, Pantha went to her locker room to prepare for her next match against Diablo, another "champion" wrestler and Muerto's partner. Argent followed Pantha into the locker room.

Argent knocked on the door and Pantha asked, "Don't bother me for a damned autograph!"

Argent yelled back at Pantha, "I'm not here for a bloody autograph! I want to talk to you!"

With that, Pantha opened the door and let in Argent. Argent walked in and sat on one of the benches. Pantha sat down on the bench across.

"So why did you come to see me? Who are you, first of all?"

"My name is Argent and I have a recruitment offer I want you to take up on." With that, Argent pulled out the T-Communicator for Argent.

Pantha took the communicator and looked at it for a minute. At last she spoke, "You've got me."

Argent smiled, knowing that she had succeeded.

* * *

Beast Boy was watching Terra as he usually did, not giving up on his blond geomancer. Raven had told him that she had her memories but no powers, and that she was brought back by Slade, but his faith was still not broken in his love.

Terra was where she usually was - secluded in a corner away from most of the other students. Terra knew what was going to go down today, and soon enough it would begin.

Beast Boy began to detect a familiar odor rapidly approaching Murakami High School. He sensed its direction and immediately turned to look at it.

Beast Boy turned back into a human and pulled out his communicator. He said, "Dudes? Plasmus is coming. He's at Murakami High School."

Cyborg said back, "Beast Boy, I can't send you support at this time. Argent's in Mexico, me and Star are in Oslo, and Bushido is in Beijing. The honorary Titans are all busy as well. And Raven is on guard duty in Hungary."

Beast Boy put away the communicator and turned into a pigeon, flying down towards the rapidly-moving Plasmus, who was heading right for Murakami High School.

Beast Boy knew what Plasmus was capable of, and that his power was the worst one for this mission. Unfortunately, desperate times called for desperate measures as Beast Boy would have to try to occupy Plasmus long enough to force him asleep.

Beast Boy turned into a rhino and began charging right at Plasmus, managing to pierce a large hole into the protoplasm creature, even though he did get covered in the ick as well.

Plasmus quickly regenerated himself and fired off some of his protoplasm at the school, quickly melting the gates. That triggered a lockdown alarm at the school. Instantly, all of the students were rushing inside, and Terra was the farthest away from the door.

Beast Boy used his tail to pull up some road and then swung/pushed it right at Plasmus, impacting him slightly but not enough to stop the assault. Plasmus sent protoplasm at Beast Boy, which he barely avoided as it crept upon him.

Plasmus split himself into two - one half occupying Beast Boy while the other headed towards the school to do more damage. Beast Boy was quickly trapped by Plasmus, unable to reach the other half headed for Terra.

Speaking of Terra, she was trying to get towards the school in an attempt to avoid Plasmus (or that's what she was trying to make it seem) when the door suddenly slammed shut right in front of her. She couldn't get in and they couldn't open the door to let her in.

The other half of Plasmus quickly charged towards Terra, trying to destroy her, but suddenly, Terra lifted two rocks from the pavement and then slammed them at Plasmus, forcing him to fall back.

Terra continued her rocky onslaught against Plasmus, soon driving him back into the other half Beast Boy was struggling against.

Terra shouted out, "Hey Beast Boy! Need a hand!" Beast Boy turned around to see Terra, with a lot of rocks aimed at Plasmus.

Beast Boy turned back into a human to say, "Yes. Thanks Sarah."

Terra flung some rocks towards Beast Boy, who turned into a large gorilla to catch them and then smash them into Plasmus. Plasmus began to take damage, which began to cause more and more of his body structure to fall apart.

Beast Boy sent one final rock back into Plasmus, and Plasmus was knocked back into his human form, asleep in the protoplasm remains. Beast Boy quickly ran up to Plasmus and administered one last sedative - to ensure that he was knocked out.

Terra then told to Beast Boy, "Actually, Beast Boy, my name is Terra."

Beast Boy ran up to Terra and was about to hug her when he realized he was still covered in Plasmus's protoplasm goop.

"Back at the tower, Terra?"

"Okay. Hopefully, I can get in without security being armed to kill me."

Beast Boy turned into a pterodactyl while Terra created a riding platform out of rock, and the two headed back to the Tower.

* * *

Slade watched Beast Boy and Terra's fight against Plasmus from his command center at the base. Slade silently said to himself, "Excellent work, Terra. We are one step closer to achieving the plan's success."

And with Raven gone on her "babysitting" task, Slade could resume work on his plan without any interruptions.

* * *

_Cape Town, 1988. The anti-apartheid resistance fighters were beginning to gain ground in South Africa while the government was trying to oppose them and keep their racist practices intact._

_The United States government was mixed in its decisions on South Africa. While it wanted to intervene on behalf of the African populace, it didn't want to lose a potential trading partner in South Africa._

_That's where I came in. I was tasked with infiltrating the city and assassinating a key government official - Niel Baropck, one of the most livid apartheid supporters in the government. I take him down, the apartheid movement loses its strongest voice but it gains a martyr. People would begin to lose faith in the system and rebel against apartheid. Killing two birds with one stone._

_I was inserted into Cape Town on a freighter and met up with my contact, Joshua, who supplied me with a Barrett M82 sniper rifle, a Winchester 1200 shotgun, a Colt Government .45, four shrapnel grenades, a radio, and a knife._

_I planned to assassinate Baropck during one of his speeches, and then I would make my way back to my exfil while going against the riot police that were intending on raiding the speech that day._

_I got to the top of a building nine hundred meters away from the speech and set up my sniper position, adding a suppressor to my Barrett before loading in one round. The old Marine sniper adage, "one shot, one kill" was the name of the game. I only had one chance to kill Baropck, and if I missed, a second round would be useless._

_I took aim at Baropck as he made his speech in Cape Town to an enormous audience. Just before his speech ended, I pulled the trigger and instantly, Baropck's throat now bore a .50-caliber hole. I took the shell from the gun and policed it so the police would be unable to find the weapon._

_I took out the Winchester and quickly headed out of the building, intending to avoid the police that would be headed for me. Well, at least my sniper diverted some of the police from the anti-apartheid supporters._

_As the South African police took aim, I sent slugs into six officers as they opened fire, failing to hit me except grazing wounds on my arms and legs, which healed almost instantly._

_I threw a shrapnel grenade at the cop cars, killing four more officers as I headed for my exfiltration point. Now, the cops had abandoned their raid on the speech, seeing as the speaker was dead and they were chasing after a sniper._

_I pulled out the Colt and used it to set off a gas tank, killing three more officers before I reached my small boat for exfiltration._

_Following my actions, the apartheid movement lost most of its support and within two years, apartheid in South Africa had ended. Mission accomplished._

* * *

Raven got to the small house where the three children she would be escorting were currently at. Thanks to a beacon planted by an undercover Titan (Beast Boy), Raven knew where they were and that they were being held in a power-suppressing room by one of Blood's henchmen.

Raven broke into the house and searched for Blood's man. He tried to shoot Raven with a FN S2000, but Raven knocked the gun out of his hands before knocking him unconscious.

Raven found the power-suppressing room and deactivated the locks, freeing the three children inside. She noted that one child, a girl, was six. There was a boy, no older than four, and a baby probably barely one.

The three children got out of the room. The oldest asked, "Who are you?"

Raven responded, "My name is Raven. I'm here to get you guys to a safe location. Who are you?"

The oldest replied, "My name is Melvin", she said as she pointed to the older boy, "his name is Timmy", and she said as she pointed to the toddler, "his name is Teether."

Timmy cried out, "When are we going home?"

After covering her ears upon Timmy's outburst, Raven replied, "Where is home for you?"

Melvin then spoke to Timmy, "We're not going home for a while. That evil man blew it up and abducted us, remember."

Timmy began crying again, only for Raven and Melvin to cover their ears. Teether, being an infant, lacked the ability to know when to cover his ears. Raven knew that Blood was behind the attack, and had brought them to the city to experiment on them.

Raven brought a hand to Timmy's shoulder and said in the most reassuring tone possible (for her at least), "Don't worry Timmy. I'll keep you safe. All of you. Now, let's go. I'll teleport..."

Melvin interrupted, saying "Umm, hate to be a bother, but Teether can't handle teleporting or flying very well."

Raven said, "Guess, we're going by ground. There's a train that leaves in an hour. We need to hurry if we are going to make it."

Raven grabbed Teether in her arms as Melvin followed, but Timmy was crying, refusing to move. Melvin went back and grabbed Timmy's hand, and he continued.

The four left the house, racing towards the train station. Raven wished she could fly them there, knowing that Blood was watching them.

And she was right, as from a distance away, Brother Blood, who was once again completely human, was watching them. He smirked and said to himself, "Raven. Long time, no see. Now you get to play with the Church of Blood once again, and we will win. Trigon will be avenged."


	36. Entry and Exit

**Author's Notes**

To bloodshark, you'll see what becomes of Brother Blood in a few chapters, and you'll find out what Slade's plan is in a chapter or two. Raven and Terra still aren't on the best of terms, and Terra's relationship with the Titans will be put to the test in this chapter. And Slade's plan, I can't tell you what it is yet, but I can say it will be such that Raven will find herself morally challenged on whether or not it should succeed. It's gonna be a helluva decision.

To JP-Rider, I'll explain Blood's humanity during this chapter. I'm fairly sure you will be surprised how Blood went from broken cyborg to human.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

Raven and the young metahumans she was escorting barely made the train out of Budapest. It wasn't heading to Bucharest, but it was heading for Belgrade, Serbia, and there was another train from Belgrade to Bucharest.

If all went according to plan (which Raven was hoping for but doubted would happen), they would arrive in Belgrade an hour before the Bucharest train left, and they could get to the monastery from there.

The four were seated in a private room with three beds and a crib - Cyborg had gotten Raven tickets for the train before hand, knowing that she would need them.

Raven locked the door of their room, to keep the kids from getting out and keeping Blood's men from getting in and finding them. She began looking around the room to see what supplies were there.

She found several pairs of clothing for the kids, a spare T-Communicator, a safety whistle, some baby food, a couple of bottles of water, two canisters of chamomile tea, crackers, Children's Tylenol, three bottles of formula, a pack of diapers, and sliced celery.

Raven was thankful that Cyborg was able to send her a lot of supplies, but she knew it probably wasn't going to be enough. And while it seemed like Raven couldn't carry it all - Raven did have the spell that could let her carry her room in her backpack. The same principle applied here.

At last, the train began to move, departing Budapest on its way to Belgrade - a roughly six hour trip, assuming there were no detours, a fool's hope.

Timmy cried out, "I'm hungry." So, Raven took two crackers and some of the sliced celery and gave it to Timmy. He quickly ate it and he was satisfied for now. Timmy crawled into his bed in the other half of the room, holding his blanket tight.

With Timmy satiated, Raven went on to feed Teether, only to find he was biting on the crib.

Melvin said, "Teether's not trying to escape. He just likes chewing on things." Raven was fortunate that the crib was metal and not wood, otherwise it would have certainly broke.

Raven took one of the jars of baby food - baby zucchini and began feeding it to Teether. Raven was fortunate that there was intel on each of the kids, so Cyborg could send what they liked and needed to the train. Raven was going to need all the help she could get to get them to the monastery in tact.

After feeding Teether with the entire jar, Raven went over to her bed, which was closer to the door than that of the kids she was escorting. With this design, Raven could note if there was an intruder coming and be able to act first to protect them.

* * *

Beast Boy brought Terra back to the tower, after which he switched out of his protoplasm-drenched uniform in favor of a cleaner one. Terra went to her room, which she was surprised to see was intact after her betrayal. She switched out of her school uniform and put back on her Titans uniform.

Still, Beast Boy wanted to be sure that Terra was in fact Terra, so he put her fingerprints through a DNA test - if they matched to the fingerprint ID she put in when she first came to the Tower, then the girl who saved BB's life was the original Terra.

And minutes later, a 100% DNA match was confirmed, proving once and for all that Terra was alive. After this, Beast Boy hugged Terra, the girl that returned in his life.

Terra asked, "Where is everybody? Where are Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven?"

Beast Boy replied, "Ever since you left, we've had some personnel shifts to put it kindly."

"What do you mean, BB? What happened?"

"Well, it turns out that Raven is the daughter of Trigon. When Robin found out, he imprisoned her inside of an inescapable cell. However, she was freed by Slade."

"How the hell did he survive? I killed him."

"Trigon brought him back. Anyway, Slade freed Raven before she killed Trigon. She came back and attacked Robin. After she left, we removed Robin from the team following a vote of confidence."

"So where are the others? And who is replacing Robin and Raven?"

"Cyborg's the team leader now, and Argent and Bushido joined the team. Cy and Star are in Oslo trying to handle a coup d'etat by Warp, Control Freak, and Katarou. Argent should be back in a few hours from Mexico. Bushido is handling an attack by the Source in Beijing. Raven's watching some young metahumans. And Robin..."

"What about Robin?"

"After he was removed, he became the criminal and murderer Claw. He murdered over a dozen people including Professor Chang, Red X, Ravager, and Jericho before Raven killed him two months ago."

"Dear God."

"Anyway though, you're pretty much caught up. So, go to your room and I'll brief the other Titans about your return." With that, Terra left for her room as Beast Boy prepared for the mass briefing.

On the main screen came up Cyborg, Starfire, Argent, and Bushido. Cyborg opened up with, "Why are you calling Beast Boy?"

Beast Boy replied, "Great news. Terra's back. She has her memories and powers too."

Starfire asked, "How did you find her?"

"She was attending Murakami High School. DNA proved the match. So, can she stay?"

Argent asked, "Do we even know how she was brought back?"

Beast Boy said, "It must be some divine luck. Anyway, she proved herself as still good. Can she stay, please?"

Cyborg replied, "Okay. But you better be able to seperate your feelings for her from the reality of her."

With that, the feeds cut and Beast Boy eagerly went back to find Terra. He decided not to tell the other Titans about what Raven had told him - not entirely believing it himself but also thinking Slade did not have Terra in his pockets again.

* * *

Back at his base in Perth, Slade continued work on his device, having completed the four tanks, the first part at least. Now, he began working on the second part of the device.

He grabbed two more containers much like the ones he used to build the tanks. First, he grabbed a bottle filled with Liman basic solution and poured it into the bottom of one of the containers. Then, he cut off the top of one of the containers before putting the top into the container such that the cone was facing the bottom.

After an application of his special-made glue, the tank was complete. Another part of his device had been completed, and his plan would soon be complete.

Then, Slade quickly began work on making three more of the new tank he was designing.

* * *

_Cartagena, 1991. A narco-terrorist named Luiz Mayard was conducting acts of terrorism against the United States. Three hundred ninety two American citizens had been killed after he bombed a church a few days before I was sent off, bringing his death toll up to nineteen hundred dead and four thousand two hundred two wounded._

_My mission was simple - to locate Mayard and interrogate him as Mayard had links to an Iranian terrorist network, one suspected of being in possession of a former Soviet nuclear weapon._

_I was inserted into Cartagena, Colombia and I began to talk to the locals, learning that Mayard ran a drug ring through the south side of the city, and he would be there twice a week supervising shipments._

_I saw the shipment factory, seeing there were going to be at least twenty well-armed guards and a target surrounded by bulletproof glass. Mayard had some powerful political connections, so this had to be a ghost job._

_I brought only my machete to the factory on the day Mayard was there. I used the machete to behead two soldiers before grabbing their FN FNC rifles to begin my campaign against Mayard and his men._

_As well-armed and advantaged as they were, I managed to cut Mayard's men down in less than four minutes, leaving it just me and Mayard. Before Mayard could escape, I got him and shot him in the leg._

_I stripped Mayard down to his underwear before I placed him in a chair, tying down his legs and arms. For this interrogation, it would be bare-knuckle, the best kind for a man of Mayard's stature._

_Mayard refused to talk even after I beat him up repeatedly for the information on the Iranian network. As I continued my ruthless interrogation, I learned that Mayard knew nothing about them. He was just a pawn, a loose end. Millions more could be driven to the cause, and Mayard was just a small fish in a big pond._

_I was informed that if Mayard had no usable intelligence to let him die. I inserted a syringe with his cocaine into Mayard's body and gave him a lethal overdose of cocaine. The police there were rather sloppy, enabling me to make a clean getaway, unable to figure out what had happened to Mayard._

* * *

The train ride to Belgrade was going smoothly until the train hit some unexpected "speed bumps" and was forced to stop. Raven used her soul-self to look at what was going on.

It didn't surprise her that much to see Church of Blood soldiers had surrounded the train and blown up the engine. Brother Blood came up to the front of the train, holding a bullhorn and a Smith & Wesson Sigma pistol.

Blood demanded, "Raven. I know you are there. Surrender and your lives will be spared. I will not resist killing everybody on this train to find you."

Raven then stated, "Brother Blood. How am I not surprised to hear you? Threatening to kill everybody on this train won't do any good. And I am surprised to see that you are human again. Having Cyborg's mechanics did nothing for you?"

Blood responded, "Raven. Let's say that my Church has some advantages to it. After I escaped from Steel City Prison, the Church put me through a ritual to turn me back into a human, and let's say that the ritual did involve my death and resurrection. My body was destroyed but it rebuilt itself, with all of the robotics gone."

"Super. Now, if you will just leave this train and let us get to Belgrade, that will be most appreciated. Unless you want another Titan to kick your ass."

With that, Raven popped out in front of Blood and his many soldiers, very unwilling to surrender.

"So be it, my dear. Let's see how well you do against the power of your father." Blood unleashed some psychic attacks against Raven, but she was able to dodge them with ease.

Raven, wanting to hurry the fight up, unleashed some black energy spikes at Blood, hoping to hit him. What surprised Raven soon after was the fact that Blood managed to catch the spikes.

Raven asked, "How?"

Blood replied, "We both know the answer to that question" before throwing the spike back at Raven.

Raven created a dark energy shield to block the spike from hitting her - she had never seen someone being able to catch her energy constructs and use them against her. Raven knew this was going to be trouble.

Blood unleashed more powerful psychic attacks against Raven, obviously trying to take her down but Raven's shield prevented Blood from attacking her. As powerful as he was, Raven was the killer of the source of his powers. She was not to be trifled, nor was he.

Raven performed a backflip as her black energy flipped the engine of the train, causing Blood to fall off as Raven dropped the ruined engine on Blood, leaving the rest of the train intact.

Blood popped right out of the engine, destroying it with a simple blast before unleashing more of his attacks on Raven. Soon enough, Blood managed to put himself on top of Raven, his eyes looking directly into hers.

Blood said, "When I was making my plots against you, I was considering using you as the source of my plans, to take control of you and bring down the Titans. Unfortunately, another had already possessed your mind. Trigon, and thus you were immune to my brainwashing, so Cyborg had to do. But now, since Trigon is dead, his influence no longer runs within you. And now I can use you to bring the kids to me."

Raven furiously growled, "No chance in hell."

Blood replied, "So be it." He then prepared to use his hypnosis on Raven, beginning to gain influence inside of her mind before he was suddenly whacked away by an invisible force.

Raven got up, trying to find her savior, but saw nothing. Raven meekly said, "That wasn't me." With that statement, she soon summoned two waves of black energy that blasted away Blood's soldiers, leaving it just Raven versus Brother Blood.

Blood charged back at Raven before the same invisible force seemed to grab him up into the air, something neither of the two could understand. The force then threw Blood away from the train.

With the path clear, Raven flew to the caboose of the train and her black energy then proceeded to push the train to resume its travel towards Belgrade. It was terribly exhausting, yes, but she was able to make up for the time they lost because of Blood's attack.

An hour later, the train arrived in Belgrade, all safe and sound. Raven flew back to the room where she and the kids were staying before saying, "We have to move. The train is too dangerous to stay."

Melvin asked, "How are we going to get there? We can't fly or go by train."

Raven simply stated, "I think I have a solution." In all reality, Raven was never planning on going on the train to Bucharest, so she had Cyborg get her a fake license and a car rental so she could drive the rest of the way to Bucharest.

Raven quickly put the supplies sent to her into a backpack also provided before escorting Melvin, Timmy, and Teether to the car - a 2007 Zastava Florida. After buckling up the kids in the back seat, Raven put herself in the driver's seat.

Raven turned on the ignition and began the long eight-hour drive to Bucharest. Raven was definitely going to need a lot of sleep after her escort was finished.

Timmy quietly cried, "Are we there yet?" Raven thought, _Children_.


	37. Drive and Reveal

**Author's Notes**

To bloodshark, regarding Plasmus and how he separated from Ternion - remember _Haunted_ (which took place after _Aftershock_ when he, Cinderblock, and Overload were fused) and Cinderblock was fighting the Titans on his own? It's pretty safe to assume that the Titans found a way to ultimately separate the three bodies. Raven probably isn't going to go crazy after she leaves the kids she is escorting - it may prove more beneficial actually. And Slade's plan is not going to involve the end of the world, but you'll see what exactly it is by the end of this chapter.

To the guest, I take it you were surprised about what happened but the died comment still confuses me. Well, then again, I haven't been writing for too long and I still am trying to figure out all the terms.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

Raven has been driving the three metahumans in her rented Zastava Florida, trying to keep ahead of Brother Blood and his Church of Blood henchmen. Raven knew that the Church had some power in these regions, but she was fortunate that she was not near Zandia, which was roughly nine hundred miles north.

If she was in Zandia, then Brother Blood would have much more influence since even though Slade had dethroned Blood, the Church of Blood still had a considerable influence in the government and with the people. If Blood wanted, he could reconquer the country and have no opposition.

In order to keep track of how far away Blood was, she activated a scanner that allowed her to pinpoint Blood and a radio that enabled her to listen in on his conversations - courtesy of Cyborg. While Blood was no longer part-robot, there were still some bits of machinery that remained lodged in his brain because of the procedure. Cyborg could hack into it and enable Raven to know what Blood was doing.

Melvin requested, "Can you tell us a story?"

Timmy then cried out, "Story! Story! Story!"

Raven then said, "Alright then." Raven had read a lot of books so she knew a lot of stories, and as a Titan, she had experienced a lot, so she ultimately decided to tell the story of Malchior.

Raven talked about the human Malchior was before his monstrous transformation into a dragon, his fight with Rorek, his banishment into the book that Raven later acquired, how he seduced her and tricked her before she sent him back, and his eventual death after Claw freed him.

It was obvious Raven had never told a story to kids before - as all three were obviously shaken by what Raven had told them - it was the truth and Raven refused to sugar-coat. Though Raven began to think that maybe in hindsight, she could have left some things out. Socializing was always hard for her, especially telling stories about her life.

Suddenly, Raven was getting a transmission from her scanner/radio. Raven turned it up to listen before telling the kids to be quiet for a moment.

She heard, _"Where are the children?"_ from Brother Blood. He was speaking to one of his lieutenants, Kaloff.

Kaloff replied, _"Raven still has them. She is probably on the train to Belgrade with them. We must intercept that train._"

However, Blood responded, _"No, they are not. Raven is not aboard that train. She knew we could go after it. Find her or I will kill you."_

Kaloff said, _"Yes, master_."

The transmission ended and Raven checked to see that Brother Blood was currently in Belgrade, roughly one hundred five miles away from Raven. She had to keep moving if she was to get the kids safely to the monastery. If she could get them inside, Blood would be unable to reach them, since that monastery repels Trigon's influence. Unfortunately, Raven would be unable to enter as well. The perks of being the Gem of Skaath.

Melvin looked outside of her window and said, "Yes, Bobby. Follow us."

Raven asked, "Who the heck is Bobby?"

Melvin said, "My giant teddy bear. He is following us. He has to stay with us at all times."

Raven however looked outside of her window and there was no giant teddy bear behind. Raven's response was, "You must be imagining things, Melvin."

"No I'm not. Bobby has been with me for three years now. I had him save you from that evil old man on the train."

Raven had to think about this statement - that was the invisible force that attacked Blood. It must have been Melvin's powers and she must be able to use them by imagining things doing them. Materialization was an impressive and rare power. Hopefully the monastery had good teachers.

* * *

Argent returned from Mexico back to the Tower, where Beast Boy and Terra were. Cyborg, Starfire, and Bushido all had pressing matters that kept them from returning, so for now it would just be the three of them.

Argent did not know that Raven had told Beast Boy about Terra, nor did Terra know about Raven informing Beast Boy the truth. Beast Boy had to be on his guard, knowing that Terra could wind up betraying them just like last time.

At the tower, Terra was currently making sure her communicator to Slade was working while Beast Boy was doing some leg exercises in the gym.

After making sure the communicator was on, Terra began to speak with Slade. She opened with, "I'm in, Slade. What's the objective?"

Slade responded, "Destabilize them. Open a rift between them and suck them into it. I need time to complete my plan. Any status on Material C?"

Terra's reply was, "None in the city. There is, however, a healthy supply in Central City. Flash and Jinx's territory."

"Good. I'll send someone to steal it and bring it back. You need to maintain your cover. Over and out."

The feed was cut and Terra hid the communicator away, trying to prevent the Titans from figuring out she was working for Slade. However, Terra did not know what exactly Slade was planning. The man always was a mystery to her, but she knew whatever it was, it was going to be big.

* * *

In Central City, Kid Flash and Jinx were on patrol, having acquired the detail from the original Flash, who was now part of the Justice League and stationed on board the Watchtower.

They were in a steady relationship, something that both of them ultimately found surprising, given Kid's flirtatious ways and Jinx's aggressiveness (to put it kindly). Criminal activity had plummeted since the two began their patrol two months earlier.

Just when it seemed crime had gotten soft, there was suddenly a break-in at one of the warehouses in the heart of the city. Kid Flash quickly grabbed Jinx's hand and the two zipped over the warehouse.

They discovered that the warehouse's security had been hacked and the guards were overpowered by some form of robotic technology. Jinx could only think of a couple of people that could be responsible for this.

And it turns out that the top suspect on her list was the thief - she looked around the warehouse and she saw a bald midget with a green jumpsuit, goggles, and a backpack. Gizmo.

Jinx opened up with, "Hey Giz, long time, no see."

Gizmo responded, "Jinx, so the rumors are true. You ditched us for the speedster."

Kid Flash zipped up to his partner and said, "Yep. And would you be so kind as to surrender."

Gizmo gave his answer in the form of lasers aimed at the duo and they quickly rushed to avoid them. Jinx fired off some hexes at Gizmo, but he was able to dodge most of them, which only caused ceiling damage, and the one that did impact had no effect.

Gizmo replied, "You muzz-scruncher, my stuff is hardened against magic, including your hexes."

Kid Flash, realizing his partner's peril, rushed up to Gizmo and climbed onto Gizmo's spider legs, trying to cause a vibration that would take him down. Before he could, however, Gizmo kicked Kid Flash off of his legs and returned fire on the two.

Kid Flash and Jinx were officially trapped behind cover as neither of their abilities could do much good against Gizmo, which enabled the genius to steal a metal carton labeled C.

With that, Gizmo's spider legs retracted and a jet pack soon formed on Gizmo's back. Gizmo jetted off, leaving the two in the dust, trying to figure out where the heck Gizmo was going and what the heck he was doing with Material C.

* * *

Gizmo brought the carton to his employer, who was located at a base in...Perth, Australia. Gizmo entered a hidden port roughly two miles away from the base and flew the remaining distance through the tunnel into the base.

Gizmo landed and pulled out the carton to give to Slade. Slade said, "Gizmo, there you are with the contents I requested."

Gizmo replied, "Yeah, Slade. I got it. Now, I want my money."

Slade asked, "You want money? How about I double it for another task?"

Gizmo firmly stated, "I am not stealing any more shit! That never works for me."

Slade replied, "No stealing. How about some computer work."

"Sure." With that statement, Gizmo went to work on a computer Slade had put out. Gizmo's assignment was to ultimately finish some programming. This programming would be able to allow several devices to spin - the tanks, and achieve provosional blank.

This was just the programming, so when Slade had finished the device, he could activate the device and quickly achieve his plans, his world-changing yet mysterious plans.

Gizmo was finishing up the first set of programming when Slade had him begin subset programming which would enable him to copy the original programming onto multiple sets of the device. This would be key to his device, to his plan. Whatever it was, which only Slade knew. In this case, the fewer people that know, the better.

After finishing the programming, Slade inserted a USB drive into Gizmo's backpack before removing it, saying "I have inserted your deposit into your backpack. I do hope it will be satisfactory."

Gizmo replied, "It better be." With that statement, Gizmo went off, heading back towards Jump City. He was thinking of trying to find Mammoth, See-More, and Kyd Wykkyd to reform the HIVE Five, since Jinx defected and Billy was in prison.

* * *

Raven had been driving for six hours now, and had driven two hundred seventy eight miles. Less than a hundred miles to go before the kids could be safe.

During the long car ride, Melvin had been talking about her past with Timmy and Teether. She said that her father was a police officer in Chicago, and a highly-recognized one at that. However, back at home, her father was nothing short of a monster. Her father, Captain Decker Stephis, was abusive to his wife, Elaine, and to his daughter, Melvin.

In fact, Decker demanded that Elaine's child be named Melvin, even though she wound up a girl. Anyway, Decker regularly beat up and raped Elaine when she refused to meet his demands, and often ignored Melvin, forcing her to fend for herself most days, even though she was only one or two.

One day, Decker had a very bad day at work after four criminals he arrested were released on a technicality. In his rage, he attacked Elaine but she tried to fight back, trying to end the monster that was her husband, since if she tried to divorce him, he would take Melvin. Elaine pulled a Smith & Wesson Model 27 on Decker.

However, Decker pulled out his issue sidearm - a SIG-Sauer P226, and shot Elaine repeatedly in the chest until he ran out of bullets. Elaine was dead on the ground and he removed the gun from her hands, intending on killing Melvin and claiming he killed his wife after she killed his daughter.

Melvin hid in the closet of her room, hearing the gunshots that executed her mother, to try to hide from her father. However, he found her without trouble and prepared to execute her when suddenly an invisible force attacked him. It was Bobby, Melvin's invisible teddy bear.

Decker was confused as to what happened and tried to open fire on the bear, which was then visible, but it did no damage as Bobby wound up smashing Decker out of a second-story window and broke his neck.

After the incident, Melvin was put into Social Services and the Stephis last name removed from her record, not wanting to associate her with the murderer that was her father.

Two years later, after further discovery into Melvin's abilities, she was grouped with Timmy Tantrum and Teether. She learned that Timmy's father died when he was one and that his prostitute mother was bankrupt and constantly faced with eviction unless she prostituted herself to her landlords. One such landlord impregnated Timmy's mother with Teether and after giving birth, Social Services found Timmy and Teether from one of Timmy's screams in an abandoned apartment building.

Timmy and Teether were brought there to avoid their life with their lazy prostitute mother and later grouped up with Melvin and constantly moved around to help experiment with their abilities until Blood abducted them a few days earlier.

After what Melvin told her, Raven knew that her life didn't look so bad anymore - there were people whose lives sucked infinitely more than hers, and for a six-year old to know all of that pain, it's wrong on so many levels.

Raven continued to drive until she began to hear another transmission from the scanner/radio. It was Brother Blood speaking.

He said, _"I know you can hear me, Raven. Anyway though, I want to let you know that you will not be getting to the monastery. The kids you are escorting will never be safe. You think you've got a lead on me, but we'll see how much of a lead I've got right about now."_

Silence followed on the scanner/radio as suddenly a helicopter appeared right behind them. Raven said, "Melvin, I hope Bobby is ready. We could sure use him right about now."

* * *

Slade watched from his lair as the programming Gizmo completed was working like a charm. His plans would be complete, and all he had to do was finish the device. He also watched as Gizmo's jetpack caused him to crash into a forest ten miles outside of Jump City.

Slade said to himself, "One more step has been completed. Soon, the universal reset button will be ready to activate, and I will undo the mistakes of the past."


	38. Encounters

**Author's Notes**

To JP-Rider, I know that the backstories I wrote are dark and as you say, "troubled". However, can you think of a superhero (or villain) that did not have some sort of troubled backstory? Something had to happen to Melvin, Timmy, and Teether to get them where they are - and I did borrow some elements from _Consequences of Misunderstandings_ for Melvin's backstory.

To bloodshark, I will not use Trigon's fire demons in this chapter (or in this act), much to your disappointment. At this point, Raven probably doesn't want to use her father's army. I feel that if I do a sequel (which I am thinking of at the moment), you may get to see Raven demonstrate the abilities her father's death left her.

Hard to believe it folks, but there are only eight more chapters until the end of the story - and this is one of the eight. Oh, and for now on bold indicates nightmares/dream sequences.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

Raven quickly accelerated, trying to keep ahead of the helicopter on her tail. However, it wasn't enough as the helicopter gunner shot out the rear tires, forcing Raven to stop the car.

She quickly grabbed the kids - Melvin, Timmy, and Teether, and the backpack before running away from the car as the gunner sent an AT4 rocket into it, destroying the Zastava Florida.

Raven quickly put the kids inside of a nearby cavern to keep them safe as she went to do battle against the helicopter and Blood's arriving reinforcements.

Raven used some of her black energy to grab onto the helicopter's rotor and yank it off, causing the helicopter to crash and explode onto the road, killing the pilot and the gunner inside. Now, they would probably have to leg the rest of the way to Bucharest, which was still ninety miles away from them, and it was very dark out.

Raven grabbed the three kids and quickly they began to walk, sure that Blood would certainly follow them and know where the helicopter went down.

However, Raven was exhausted from the long day and needed some rest, so they quickly took refuge in a nearby cabin, which had obviously been abandoned for a few months now.

The four of them went inside as Raven quickly went to sleep on one of the beds, hoping to re-energize herself for what was going to happen next.

* * *

In the forest outside of Jump City, Beast Boy detected the crash of Gizmo's jetpack and quickly flew out to investigate, trying to figure out what happened out there.

Beast Boy found the ruins of Gizmo's jetpack and flew over to it. He turned back into a human to check the tiny genius's pulse. There was barely a pulse, but Gizmo was still alive. He needed to get Gizmo to a hospital now, regardless of their associations.

After getting Gizmo to the hospital, he called Cyborg over the communicator. He spoke into the communicator, "Cyborg?"

The response was, "Yeah BB?"

Beast Boy responded, "Gizmo just crashed outside of the city. He's barely alive now. Not awake, not speaking. Something tells me this wasn't an accident."

Cyborg said, "Things are winding down in Oslo. I'll be there as soon as I can. Get Jinx here now. She might know something."

With that, Beast Boy ended his conversation with Cyborg before dialing the communicator to Jinx. The pinkette asked, "What is it?"

Beast Boy said, "Jinx? Did you see Gizmo recently?"

She replied, "Yeah. He was stealing something called C from a warehouse in Central City. His gadgets were designed to resist my hexes and he got away. Why?"

Beast Boy's response was, "He crashed into the forest outside of Jump less than an hour ago. I need you to come here. Maybe you could help enlighten us about who tried to kill him."

Within seconds, Jinx and Kid Flash were at the hospital. Jinx's response to the changeling was, "I don't abandon my friends, Beast Boy. Even if we're on opposing sides."

* * *

**Raven was walking through the park in Jump City, like it was a little after the Titans had formed. She was taking her time to enjoy the calm park air without interruptions at the Tower, which was almost complete. She had to admit, Cyborg worked fast.**

**Raven came to a spot in the park and sat down to meditate, to think about what had happened in the past few days. She began meditating, saying repeatedly "Azarath, metrion, zinthos."**

**Suddenly, a bird-a-rang came flying out at Raven and cut her across the cheek. Raven was suddenly forced out of her meditation and fell down to the ground. A blue glow surrounded Raven's hand as she healed the cut on her cheek.**

**Then, a starbolt and sonic cannon blast both met the demonling and she was blasted into a tree, which caused it to break. When she got up, she saw Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy all armed and prepared to attack Raven.**

**Raven yelled out, "Guys, it's me, Raven. Why are you attacking?"**

**Robin coldly stated, "We know its you. We aren't going to let a traitor get away."**

**Raven asked, "What the fuck do you mean?"**

**Starfire said, "Oh, look at yourself Raven."**

**Raven looked down to see what she was wearing - and it wasn't her normal blue cloak and black leotard. It was a half-orange, half-black leotard with a black cloak. She saw that the broach hooking her cloak had an S on it, just like Slade's logo and her belt was orange and black jewels.**

**Cyborg said, "Slade's apprentice. You turned on us for him."**

**Raven screeched out, "No. I didn't. I didn't betray you for Slade."**

**Beast Boy calmly commented, "Liar. You two are so much alike. No wonder Slade wanted you as his apprentice. And you accepted."**

**Raven said, "You don't understand!"**

**With that, Raven flew away, trying to avoid the barrage of Titans that was soon coming right at her. Beast Boy turned into a falcon and scratched Raven's cheek with its talons, forcing Raven to fall onto the ground.**

**Starfire took to the air and began firing starbolts at Raven, even though Raven had no idea what was going on. Raven quickly tried to flee but was soon cornered by Cyborg, who was firing his sonic cannon at her.**

**Raven was soon surrounded on all sides by the Titans. So, Raven went the only direction she could go - down, using her soul-self to phase through the ground in an attempt to escape.**

**Raven phased out from the ground once she reached Slade's base. Slade greeted her with, "Apprentice, you failed me. I ordered you to fight the Titans if they saw you, and you didn't. You ran!"**

**Raven got down on her knees and begged to Slade, "Please. I don't even know what is going on. I don't want to hurt them."**

**Slade then viciously said, "Then I will hurt you, and it will hurt."**

* * *

Raven woke up in the cabin, having suffered a very bad dream. She was thankful that she didn't destroy anything, indicating that her powers were much more under control than they were in the past.

Raven then explored the cabin a little more, seeing that Melvin, Timmy, and Teether were all asleep, peacefully, on another bed in the cabin. At least before she had fell asleep, Raven put a magical barrier on the door that prevented anybody from getting in.

Raven was trying to strategize how to get to the monastery. She knew they couldn't leg ninety miles without Blood finding them, and she couldn't teleport them either or fly them. She needed a vehicle, but Blood's helicopter blew up their rental car.

However, what time she had soon vanished when she heard cars pulling up to the cabin. And people were getting out of those cars. Raven doubted that it was the people who owned the cabin as two smoke grenades quickly were tossed into the cabin through the window.

Raven used her black energy to move the grenades out of the cabin before they could take effect. Soon after, she saw that there were three soldiers outside the doorway with C4 charges planted on the door and wall.

Raven quickly backed into the room the kids were in and put up a black shield as the soldiers detonated the C4, destroying the entire wall and breaking Raven's spell.

The explosion was loud enough to wake the kids and spark Timmy's crying. Raven said, "Be quiet. Stay here." That somehow managed to cease Timmy's crying as he hung onto his blanket tightly.

Raven closed the door to the room and soon found herself surrounded by nearly a dozen soldiers all armed with FN SCAR-H rifles aimed at her head. The first thing Raven did was create a whip of black energy and swung it at the soldiers, which ripped their rifles in half, disarming them.

Raven then surrounded the closest soldier to her in black energy and pushed him back into some of the other soldiers, knocking them down. She then repeated the process and knocked several more down. Raven then pushed the remaining two soldiers back with her black energy.

Raven looked outside and saw the Jeeps parked outside and with the soldiers temporarily unconscious, she could make a break for it. After grabbing the backpack and the kids from the room, Raven put them into one of the Jeeps.

Raven grabbed the keys from one of the soldiers before turning on the Jeep and beginning to drive away. Before she drove off with the kids, Raven used her black energy to blow up the other Jeeps in the driveway to ensure that they could not be followed.

It was only ninety miles to the monastery, only around two hours or so and the kids would be safe, or that's what the theory was.

* * *

At his base in Perth, Slade had built almost all of the URB, or universal reset button. His plans were set in motion and soon he would activate the button.

Slade had completed the four generator cores, which comprised of the tanks put together and added in C and Bohr acid into each one. The resulting reaction would ultimately begin to cause a provosional blank and radically reshape the Earth's surface.

The component Slade was working on now was the most important one. In one of the cores, Slade had attached a computer to so he could activate the URB and as a result, the other cores all at once. There was also more components necessary for the device to be truly ready.

And so Slade decided to give a call to his insider inside of Titans Tower.

* * *

While Beast Boy was at the hospital with Gizmo, Cyborg had soon come back from Oslo, leaving Starfire to finish up defeating the coup. Bushido had finished dealing with the crisis in Beijing, so he had come back to the Tower. Terra, Argent, and Bushido were in Titans Tower now, and the latter two were also practicing in the gym, leaving Terra to do her business.

Slade made a call to Terra, which she managed to answer. She stated, "Hello, Slade."

Slade said, "Hello, Terra. I need you back at the base this very instant. The plan is almost complete. One component I need from you. Your geokinesis. The sooner this is complete, the sooner the plan is complete."

Terra inquired, "What about my current mission? Destabilizing the Titans?"

Slade responded, "Leave that to me. I'm sure your disappearance will do your mission a nice little benefit."

With that, Terra raised a rock to the window in her room and jumped on it, intent on quickly completing the task Slade wanted her to do. However, Terra was beginning to get mixed emotions about Slade - not knowing what he had planned was bothering her so much. And that was beginning to test her trust in Slade.

* * *

Raven had managed to get considerably farther, now only twenty miles away from the monastery in Bucharest. The faster she could get the kids there, the sooner they'd be safe from Brother Blood.

Raven no longer had the scanner/radio, since it was destroyed along with the Zastava Florida, so she did not know where exactly Blood was. Soon, she got a call on her communication device.

She answered, "Hello?"

Beast Boy, on the other side, said, "Raven. Good to hear you. How are things going with the escort?"

Raven's response was "Blood's after me. Sent his men to attack me three times now. I'm almost there. Why are you calling?"

"Gizmo was found nearly dead a few hours ago. Do you know anything about it?"

"No. I don't. I haven't heard about Gizmo in weeks. What has he been doing that nearly killed him?"

"Slade. I suggest once this is done you have a talk with your host. He is definitely hiding something. You and I both know this."

"Question is, what is it? He isn't telling me, and I doubt he told Terra. Gizmo may know, but you better make sure he's still alive. Raven out."

Raven closed the communication device and put it back in her backpack. She was beginning to get uncomfortable, realizing that perhaps Slade was getting out of control, but she couldn't deliver the fatal blow. Not yet, not until she was sure of it.

And that wasn't her top priority at the moment. That was ensuring the kids' safety from Blood.


	39. Threat and Request

**Author's Notes**

To JP-Rider, you pretty much nailed what Slade's plan is. Unlike the chronoton detonator (from _Apprentice Part I_), the URB (universal reset button) is very real and Slade fully intends on using it. How far back Slade intends to reset time is something I am not officially revealing yet, but I did leave a huge clue in the previous chapter as to what it is.

To bloodshark, I am considering (and probably will do) a sequel. It will be exclusively Teen Titans, no League crossover. I will announce more details about it as we get closer to the end of the story because how this story ends will set up the sequel, or as I would prefer to think, follow-up story. You'll see why in a few chapters.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

_Grenada, 1983. The country was under political instability - four years earlier Eric Gairy was overthrown by Maurice Bishop, and he was nothing short of a dictator, getting allies with Cubans. And now, General Hudson Austin executed Bishop and took control of the fucking country._

_He was even more of a red than Bishop, and Reagan did not like it one bit. He ordered us to Grenada to reclaim the country in the name of democracy. The reds already had a foothold in Cuba and we'd be damned if we were going to let them gain another standing in the Western Hemisphere. One island was one location too many for the reds._

_Because of my super-soldier serum, I was obviously sent to Grenada with the mission to capture General Austin. Since I was an officer, I could slip onto the invasion without scrutiny and later complete my own mission._

_On October 25, we invaded Grenada in Operation Urgent Fury - 7,300 of America's best plus 300 Caribbean soldiers against 1,500 Grenada troops and 700 foreigners._

_We landed but were quickly bogged down by heavily entrenched fucks in barricades. They were holding us back big time and if we couldn't break through those goddamn barricades then our mission would be all for shit._

_They were firing their AK-47 rifles right at us while we returned fire with our M16 rifles in a shootout that lasted most of the day with very few casualties on either side. As far as our military campaigns go, Grenada was one of the quieter and less costly ones._

_Then, one soldier had a bright idea and began charging up the hill with his rifle, opening fire on the barricades, managing to break through and forced the soldiers to fall back. However, while many fell back, one stayed and shot the brave, if slightly dim soldier in the shoulder._

_Before he could finish him off, I broke cover and opened fire on the soldier, killing him to save my comrade in arms. I brought him aside to tend his wounds._

_I asked him, "What is your name?"_

_He replied, "Lieutenant William Randolph Wintergreen."_

_With the barricades down, we could continue on into the city and take down Austin, making our invasion a success. That night, we snuck into the city as Wintergreen regailed me with his stories of his time working as a butler at the Queen estate. He was tired of his job, so a decade ago he joined the Army and he had been deployed on a few minor expeditions across the globe._

_The next morning, October 26, we got into the city and found Austin staying in a small house with around ten lightly-armed Cuban soldiers. We snuck around back and then breached the place._

_Two Cubans opened fire but were quickly gunned down. We held our rifles on the other eight soldiers and Austin, who were aiming their light weaponry at us. After a few moments, they dropped their weapons and surrendered._

_Mission accomplished for America. The reds were out and we helped Grenada re-establish a democratic government, one free of communism. If only we could have done the same thing with Cuba._

_Years later, Wintergreen had retired from the Army while I was working unofficial missions as a mercenary. I had built up my estate considerably and asked Wintergreen if he would become my assistant. He has remained loyal ever since he accepted the job. Such loyalty is hard to find or to create._

* * *

Starfire had finished handling the coup in Oslo, so she quickly rushed back to Jump City, where Beast Boy and Cyborg were at the hospital looking at the still-unconscious Gizmo.

Starfire asked, "So how is enemy Gizmo?"

Cyborg replied, "BB was lucky to find him when he did. Gizmo was almost dead. He has a pin-sized hole in his pelvis, dislocated both of his shoulders, split a rib in half, and badly broke his right knee. Even if Raven were to heal him, it would take him months to fully recover. He's in a coma now, but it's obvious whoever did this wanted Gizmo dead."

Beast Boy added, "We inspected the data on Gizmo's pack. All the location history had been erased and a virus had been planted in the pack which caused it to lose control and crash. Whoever Gizmo stole the C for obviously didn't want to be found. So the question is, who are we looking for and what are they planning?"

Cyborg said, "We should probably get back to the Tower. Gizmo's not gonna wake for at least a few days. We could use the rest and Argent, Bushido, and Terra could use some company."

With that, the three Titans left the hospital and Gizmo, leaving only Kid Flash and Jinx with Gizmo in his bed.

Jinx said, "This is my fault. My fucking fault."

Kid asked his girlfriend, "Why?"

The pinkette responded, "If I hadn't abandoned him, hadn't fucking split, then he wouldn't have been pushed to whatever got him half to dead."

"This ain't your fault Jinx. You did what you thought was for the best. We'll find the bastard who did this to him, and we'll make him pay."

* * *

Raven had at last reached the monastery where she was bringing Melvin, Timmy, and Teether. It had been a very long journey, especially with having to deal with Brother Blood and his Church of Blood followers, all of whom have a vendetta against you for killing their God and want to capture the kids for experimentation.

She got the three kids out of the car and proceeded to walk them over to the monastery where the door opened for them and three kids walked inside to see what looked like was an old-style European monastery.

Before the door closed, Melvin asked Raven, "Aren't you coming, Raven?"

Raven replied, in a dour tone, "I can't, Melvin. Let's just say I have a problem with religious sites. Bye."

Raven walked back to the Jeep when she noticed that Timmy had left his blanket in the car. Raven ran to the back seat and grabbed the blanket. She yelled, "Timmy, I have your blanket. Timmy?"

Raven ran up to the monastery, thinking it was too quiet inside of there. Raven thought, _Damn the consequences, I need to get Timmy his blanket_. Raven put her hand on the door and she was surprised to see it wasn't burning.

Raven shrieked, "Shit! This isn't the monastery." She was then greeted with clapping from a familiar presence who then began to speak, "Congratulations, Raven. You have gotten me the children for experimentation."

Raven's eyes glowed white as she put on her hood, staring right at Brother Blood. She demanded, "Let them go."

With that, the fake wall that disguised the building as the monastery vanished, revealing what appeared to be a laboratory. Raven realized, if it wasn't obvious already, she had been duped by Blood. She saw that the three kids were held in glass containers behind a door with a metal lock.

With that, Raven flew up to the lab, trying to break the kids out. She tried to phase into the lab but was met with an electric shock upon touching the door.

Blood commented, "I expected that, so the lab is designed against all of your abilities, Raven. You will not rescue your kids."

Raven turned around and snarked, "Maybe, but I can still kill you."

Raven then charged at Blood before delivering a flurry of punches at Blood's head before throwing a roundhouse kick to his head. Blood was unphased by this and used his psychic powers against Raven, delivering some successful attacks and blasted Raven into the lab.

Blood was gaining the upper hand as Church of Blood soldiers quickly surrounded Raven. As a result, she began fighting off the soldiers one by one, taking them out as more quickly flooded in.

Soon enough, they began opening fire on Raven with SCAR-H assault rifle fire and M240 machine gun fire. Raven was quickly swarmed down by the massive amounts of ammunition and fell to the ground. The rounds began popping out as Raven was healing herself, but she was surrounded as Blood walked forward with an ancestral sword.

Blood remarked, "The Sword of the Hallows. Designed for the purpose of killing the spawn of demons. To do what the Sword of the Crucible could not. I bid you goodbye my dear."

Inside of the lab, the three kids were distraught to see that Raven was about to be killed. Timmy began crying very loudly, and much to the surprise of the three, it soon became a sonic wave that quickly shattered the glass off, freeing them.

The three kids then ran up to the door, which was locked by the massive metal lock. Teether crawled up the door and soon began gnawing at the lock, as his teeth had become nigh-indestructible, enabling him to chew right through it and open the door.

The three ran out and looked as Blood was about to deliver the fatal blow to Raven. Suddenly, Blood was thrown away from Raven by a giant stitched teddy bear.

Raven looked up and saw Blood was not there, but she saw the teddy bear instead. She said to herself quietly, "Bobby? He is real."

Bobby the teddy bear soon began to attack the Church of Blood soldiers that then opened fire on it, quickly taking them down without problem, since they couldn't damage the teddy bear.

Raven got up as Blood soon charged back at her with the Sword of the Hallows. Raven levitated up to dodge the sword's blow and soon began delivering strikes of black energy at Blood, which the Sword was unable to block. Man, magical swords and their incredibly odd properties.

Soon, Raven was able to surround the sword itself in black energy and brought it into her hand, and unlike the Sword of the Crucible, it did not burn her - the Sword of the Crucible was meant to be used by humans, the Sword of the Hallows was meant to be used by demons and their breed.

Raven came down holding the sword as Blood saw what was left of his followers. Raven said, "One more chance to surrender Blood. I advise you take it."

Blood refused and instead charged right at Raven, intent on finishing her off but Raven instead impaled the sword right through Blood's heart. Instantly, the sword generated a blaze of fire as Blood slowly burned away, becoming nothing more than ashes as his soul was carried off to hell.

The three kids were soon flown down by what appeared to be a large dove.

Melvin said, "Raven, meet Karen. Karen, Raven. You already know Bobby I take it." Melvin eyed her first creation as it stood over the unconscious soldiers.

Raven replied, "I do. You make some powerful friends, Melvin. Come on, let's get you to the monastery."

Raven summoned the backpack from the Jeep as she handed Timmy his blanket, which he held tightly. The dove then flew the kids over to the monastery, the real monastery, which was half a mile to the east of where they were.

Once the dove landed, the three kids got off as it vanished. Melvin assured Raven, "They'll come back when I tell them to."

Raven then put her hands into the backpack and pulled out the T-Communicator before giving it to the three kids. Raven said, "Trust me, you'll need it. Bye."

The three kids waved at Raven as she flew away. They then walked into the monastery, where they were much expected.

The communication device Raven was given was ringing and Raven answered it. Beast Boy asked, "So how did it go?"

Raven responded, "The kids are at the monastery. Brother Blood is dead and his Church is pretty much extinct. See ya, BB."

Raven turned off the communication device.

* * *

When Beast Boy, Starfire, and Cyborg returned to the tower, they saw Argent and Bushido walk up to them, having finished their time in the gym. What perplexed the five of them was that Terra was missing.

Before they could think any more about it, Slade came onto the main screen. He said, "Greetings Titans. It truly has been a while, hasn't it? Two months I presume?"

Beast Boy snarled, "Slade. What have you done with Terra?"

The masked mastermind replied, "Nothing. I don't know where she is. From your comment, I presumed she was with you at the Tower. After all, you did bring her there after the fight with Plasmus. Then again, your response time was unusually quick. Was it because you were already at the school, watching Terra as you did for two months before?"

Cyborg and Argent looked at Beast Boy slightly furiously. Cy said, "You knew Terra was alive for all this time? And you didn't tell us? And Slade knew?"

Beast Boy replied, "I saw Terra, then Sarah Wyatt, two months ago after the fight with White Monster. I found it was Terra only a few days ago when Raven told me."

Argent asked, "Raven? Why the bloody hell did you not tell us, Beast Boy?"

Beast Boy said, "I didn't know if she could be trusted! I didn't want you guys obsessing over it. I didn't want Terra to betray us all over again - I didn't want to be alone again." That last statement was said with much less confidence and swagger than the previous ones.

Slade then said, "Not that your issues aren't interesting, but I have an ultimatum. Stay off the Earth for seventy-two hours and I promise you that Terra will be back in the Tower, and you will be able to trust her without any hesitation. Does that sound like a trade?"

Cyborg asked the Titans, "Seventy-two hours? Where could we go for seventy-two hours?"

Starfire said, "We could always go to Tamaran. Galfore has been requesting our assistance over the past few days."

Bushido replied, "Tamaran it is."

Beast Boy said, "We agree. You better deliver on your promise, Slade. Or else hell will be to pay."

Slade chuckled, "My dear boy, you have my word if you fulfill your end of the bargain, so will I" before cutting the feed.

The Titans quickly prepped their gear for a relatively short trip to Tamaran. It would take around fourteen hours to get there and another fourteen to get back, so they would spend less than two days in Tamaran before heading back.

They took off in the T-Ship, which Slade watched from his base, knowing that with the Titans temporarily gone, he would be able to work on his URB without any issues.

* * *

Back at Slade's base in Perth, Terra had at last arrived, a few minutes after the Titans had left on their trip to Tamaran. Terra asked Slade, "What do you need for Slade?"

Slade said, "I need you to surround these three devices with rocks, and this is something only you are suited for my dear. Oh, and don't worry about the Titans, they're on a short vacation off the planet."

Terra inquired, "Star's homeworld of Tamaran?"

Slade answered, "Yes."

With that, Terra soon gathered a lot of rocks from nearby and began to coat three generator cores with rocks, surrounding them as like it were paste or a coating, ensuring that it stayed on.

Terra asked, "How'd I do?"

Slade's response was, "Marvelously my dear."

"Now can you tell me what the fuck this is?"

"It's a game-changer, Terra. I can't tell you all that it is, not yet at least."

With that, Terra got back on a rock and began to fly back to Titans Tower.

An hour later, Raven returned from her escort assignment in Europe and Slade was there to welcome her back with a cup of freshly-brewed chamomile tea.

Slade said to Raven, "You've returned. How was your assignment, Raven?"

Raven said, "It went well I think. Brother Blood is dead if you must know."

"Come Raven, there is something I need to show you."

With that, Slade brought Raven back to his command center, which he had the pieces of his URB device ready but not yet fully assembled.

Raven asked, "What is this, Slade? You know I can sense if you are lying, just to remind you."

Slade responded, "A universal reset button. There is one more component necessary before I can finish assembly and activate it. I need the activation energy."

"You need this from me, I take it?"

"You're the only one powerful enough. It won't be excruciating, just put a little of your black energy into this generator core."

"How far back do you intend to reset it?"

"Far back enough to prevent myself from making the mistakes of my life that cost me everything."

Raven floated up to the generator core not covered by Terra's rock coating. Her hands glowed black as black energy inserted itself into the device. Slade closed it up before congratulating Raven. "Congratulations, Raven. Now it begins."

Raven floated out of the command center, thinking about what she had just done for her former enemy.


	40. Space

**Author's Notes**

To JP-Rider, you're getting on the right track as to what Slade's plan is, but you aren't there yet. Your suggestions, however well thought out, are incorrect. Officially, you'll know what Slade's true plan is for the URB within the next few chapters - because then Raven will have to make her decision on which side she is on. I have left some clues in the prior chapters as to what the plan is, so to be frank, if you can't figure out what it is, I won't tell you what it is before the time is right. And this by no means should be interpreted as me saying you aren't intelligent.

To everlostneverfound, I know from what it looks like Raven didn't do the smartest thing, but then again she does not have much of an idea of what Slade is planning on doing with the URB, and she will find out in a few chapters the truth, which will also trigger her decision. Everything will come into place at the end of the story, I guarantee.

To bloodshark, Raven is probably not going back in time. While her powers are incredibly unpredictable, time travel is not one of them. She did manage to rescue Cyborg from 3000 BC but it took a different spell and much more energy than normal to do so, and that is probably a one-time thing. I'll explain more about the URB in the next few chapters. Regarding Blackfire and Mammoth, you may see her sometime in the next chapter or so, but no guarantees. Mammoth, probably will be in the sequel to this story.

We're down to the final six chapters of _Betrayed, Cast Off, Angry_. Hard to believe, ain't it?

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

The Titans - Cyborg, Beast Boy, Starfire, Argent, and Bushido - had taken the T-Ship on their short trip to Tamaran, which Slade had mandated if they wanted to see Terra again (and not under his persuasion).

The fourteen hour long trip had been marked by a lot of arguing - mainly between Cyborg and Argent with Beast Boy and Starfire over the issue of Terra's return and the changeling not telling them a lot of details regarding it. Bushido remained quiet, merely listening to his iPod filled with Japanese opera.

When they got within distance of Tamaran, where they could see it, they were suddenly faced with hundreds of mini-fighters.

Cyborg shrieked, "Starfire? What the hell are those?"

Starfire answered, "They are not part of the Tamaranean military I can assure you that. They are neither Citadel nor Gordonian either."

Beast Boy added, "We need to fight back. Those things are going to kill us."

With that, the T-Ship opened its anarments and began to fire upon the mini-fighters that began swarming upon them. In this fight, however, no matter how useful the T-Ship's anarments were, the mini-fighters were infinitely more manuverable and easier to hide.

The T-Ship then split apart into the five mini-ships in hopes of gaining an edge on the mini-fighters of unknown make. This proved to be a good strategy at first glance, as the 5 T-Ships managed to blast their way through the wall of mini-fighters that was blocking them, but each ship was soon surrounded by more mini-fighters.

Argent remarked, "This was a bloody awful idea. We need to reform now."

The 5 T-Ships quickly tried to get away from the mini-fighters as they attempted to reform into one large T-Ship, hoping to make it to Tamaran before they were all killed.

The T-Ship returned to one ship but the mini-fighters got a prime aim and fired repeatedly at the engine of the ship, hitting it and causing it to short-circuit.

Beast Boy yelled, "This ain't good, dudes!"

With that, the T-Ship began to spiral out of control, barely dodging the asteroids heading its way as steering control was lost. Before the mini-fighters could finish off the Titans, a green blast proceeded to take most of the mini-fighters out.

Then, several Tamaranean soldiers quickly came out and attacked the remaining mini-fighters, which forced them to fall back. Moments later, the T-Ship was pushed to Tamaran by the same soldiers.

Starfire cried out from her pod, "We are saved." After a few minutes, the T-Ship landed on Tamaran, for the most part intact. Cyborg ran an engine diagnostic and the results were not good.

Cyborg said, "With the amount of damage taken, it will take me at least a day to repair the engine and another ten hours or so to ensure the ship can actually work."

Starfire said, "There are number of good Tamaranean engineers nearby. They will be able to help you repair the ship. If you need us, we have to see Galfore."

The T-Ship was loaded onto a large freight craft as Cyborg also got on, ensuring that nothing bad happens to the T-Ship, since it is their only way off of the planet.

* * *

Raven was in her room when she began to feel a little lonely. She pulled out her communication device and ultimately saw that she couldn't get into contact with the Titans.

So, she flew over to Titans Tower quickly to see if they were there. What she saw was a note written in Cyborg's handwriting: "_Went to Tamaran - be back in 3 days. Teen Titans_".

As a result, Raven plugged her communication device into the main computer, intending on getting a stronger signal than she had before, intending on it being able to reach the Vega system.

At last Raven got a signal, and she saw Beast Boy on the comm. Raven inquired, "Went to Tamaran without me, huh?"

Beast Boy said over the comm, "It was kind of short notice."

"What made you decide to go so quickly?"

"Slade asked us to. We leave Earth for seventy two hours and Terra is not under his control. From the looks of it, we'll be here at least seventy-two hours. Tamaran is in the middle of a war."

"Poor planning really is a killer. Slade sent you away probably because he needed the time to work on his new plan."

"What is it Raven? What is Slade planning?"

"He is building a universal reset button, or URB for short. Slade intends to reset the past and avoid making some of the mistakes he made, perhaps it will be better for all of us."

"You never know with Slade. We'll need to check it out, you know that. Even with your faith in him, we still fought him for years. One thing doesn't make up everything."

"I know, Beast Boy. I know. Bye for now."

Raven closed the communication device, getting infinitely more curious about Slade and his choice for the seventy-two hour window.

* * *

Slade was finishing some computations on the URB device, almost ready to begin the final step of his plan. The URB works by sending one's thoughts and reasons in a form of message to that person in the past. So, the device could only work on someone that was alive on the set date and was still alive when the message was input.

So, Wintergreen came into Slade's command center to help out his master with the final step of his plan's construction. Slade took off his mask and set it aside as Wintergreen attached a couple of electrodes to Slade's head, particularly the area surrounding his brain.

Slade told Wintergreen, "I need to be uninterrupted for the next forty-eight hours. Any disruptions could cause the URB to inadvertently overload and explode, which would completely have wasted everything I have done so far. Turn on the machine."

Wintergreen pressed a black button on the machine that activated the original thought transfer. Slade instantly fell into a very deep sleep as Wintergreen closed the door to the command center before activating a lock to prevent anybody from getting inside. Slade needed to be completely focused for what he was doing.

* * *

The other four Titans were then escorted up to the Royal Palace, with Grand Emperor (and Starfire's k'norfka (aka guardian) as a child) Galfore expecting their arrival. While he did not know about their recent decision to come, it was greatly appreciated since Tamaran was at war.

At last the four Titans - Beast Boy, Bushido, Argent, and Starfire (or as she was known as here, Princess Koriand'r) arrived at the Royal Palace, where they were brought to where Galfore was seated.

Starfire had told them to kneel upon seeing Galfore, but Galfore commanded, "Rise, Koriand'r and friends. I have noticed that your friends are not the same as when you were last here."

The Titans then all had vivid reminders to Starfire being engaged at the hand of her cruel and evil sister, Blackfire to a creature known as Glurdleskletch solely so she could obtain the Jewel of Charta, which amplified her own power to help extend her reign over her people. When Starfire found out the truth, she fought Blackfire, destroyed the Jewel, became Grand Empress of Tamaran, and made her sister marry the creature. She later gave the crown to Galfore when she felt she could not fulfill the best interests of Tamaran.

Starfire said to Galfore, "Many things have changed since we departed. We must talk, privately. I am sure you have things to tell me as well."

"The invaders, the fighters that attacked you outside of the planet. We will meet the observatory."

With that, Galfore flew into the air, heading towards the observatory at the top of the palace with Starfire close behind him. The other Titans were soon escorted to their guest rooms, which was dramatically better than the last time they were there (or at least for Beast Boy).

Starfire and Galfore arrived in the observatory before Starfire closed the door, ensuring nobody could interrupt them. Neither participant wanted to be overheard, given the concerns of the people of Tamaran.

Galfore asked, "What has changed since you departed? Where are Raven and Robin, if I got their names correctly."

Starfire somberly said, "You did get their names correct. You know of Trigon, correct?"

"Yes. He has committed atrocities on every dimension of every galaxy. The Tamaran legend of Trigon's visit shall never be forgotten. Why do you ask this, Koriand'r?"

"Because Raven is his daughter. The Gem of Skaath."

"In the legend, it says that the Gem was capable of massive destruction, but also capable of restraining it. I had always hoped that the Gem was capable of restraint, and when I saw Raven - I knew she was the Gem. I chose not to say anything because I did not want a panic. And she did not want it to be known, I take it."

"When Robin found out, he imprisoned her inside of a cell without windows or doors, inescapable for anybody. Many of Tamaran may have once thought it justified, but in my heart, it should not be done."

"Much agreed, princess. Ever since your sister's removal, those cells have been eradicated from Tamaran. It is not in one's nature to deny another such basic rights. What happened?"

"Our old enemy, who had been resurrected by Trigon, rescued Raven. Soon after, Raven destroyed Trigon and acquired his power. She later returned and attacked Robin for the crimes he had committed to her."

"What happened to Robin?"

"We agreed to remove him from the team. It was better for everyone. He could not be trusted, and we acquired Argent and Bushido in their stead."

"And what has become of Raven and Robin?"

"Raven is still alive, but her loyalties remain a mystery to me. Robin, however, is no longer among us. He became a klargen (Tamaranean for serial killer) and killed more than a dozen people before Raven ended his life. It was not easy for her to do, but it had to be done upon the revelation of what he had become."

"Taking a life is never easy, even when it is for the better good, when it is necessary. The world is a rapidly changing place. Every world."

"And what has changed here since my departure, Galfore?"

"Things have gone smoothly, but less than a month ago, your sister returned. Komand'r, she had acquired some new allies - the Darthax, some of the deadliest fighters Tamaran has ever seen. She has put the planet under siege and we struggle to resist. She has been gaining ground, demanding my surrender or else she kills our own."

"How many have we lost?"

"Nine hundred forty seven thousand. We refuse to surrender, but she has eliminated more than ten percent of our population already. If her campaign continues, there will no longer be a Tamaran."

"How many do they have against us?"

"If we brought the army to full strength, one million seven hundred thousand, against twelve million of their fighters." Those odds were not good on any planet - Blackfire's Darthax allies had an over 7-to-1 advantage to Tamaran, making surrender the only other option to elimination.

"Is this true? Are we condemned to death by Blackfire?"

"No. There is always hope. We have a chance. We need to force Blackfire to abandon the fleet, and without her, they fall back. Tamaran would be saved."

"I might have a plan, but I will need to talk it over with my friends. We cannot risk it if it does not work."

With that, Starfire reopened the door to the observatory before flying out, intending to talk with her friends about their impending crisis.

* * *

Terra was back in Titans Tower and returned to her room, noticing there was almost a complete vacancy. Almost, she could sense someone was there, and quickly got some rocks ready as she went to investigate.

She crept down the hallways before she saw Raven, who was investigating a similar disturbance.

Terra said, "Jesus, Raven. You almost gave me a fucking heart attack."

Raven commented, "Perhaps that might make us even. You tried to kill me, remember?"

Terra meekly shrugged, "Right. Where are the other Titans?"

Raven said, "Tamaran. Slade sent them out of the planet for three days, but they are in for something much more. Tamaran is under war and they are looking pretty doomed."

"We probably should do something. We need to save them."

"But how? They have the T-Ship, the only way into space."

"Not the only way. You can teleport, right, Raven."

"Yes, but I've never tried it into space. No demon has ever went into space before. I do not know if it would kill me."

"Only one way to find out."

With that, the two went to the Titan storage unit and pulled out two spacesuits, which were designed in case they had to deal with an emergency landing in space where there wasn't oxygen - well everyone except Starfire.

After putting on the suits, Raven asked Terra, "Ready to see where no demon has gone before?"

Terra replied, "Ready."

With that, Raven engulfed the two of them into her soul-self and they flew out of Titans Tower and into space.


	41. Fights of Space and Fire

**Author's Notes**

To JP-Rider, as far as I know, the Darthax are of my creation. I don't know if anyone else has used them, and I probably never will know. I didn't want to use the Gordonians or Citadel (they seemed overdone), so a new threat for Tamaran had to be created.

To everlostneverfound, the URB does have some restrictions set upon it - a key one being that it can only be used a few times total (any more could threaten to collapse the entire space-time continuum) and Slade would never get a redo. Not to mention, the URB would be destroyed in the reset function. Slade has some barriers in his mind that keep Raven from figuring out the entire truth (a thing he picked up from Trigon).

To stranger, I try to keep some sense of unpredictability.

We are officially in the final five chapters of the story - soon _Betrayed, Cast Off, Angry_ will be complete.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

Starfire returned to the quarters where her friends were staying to inform them of the situation. Beast Boy asked, "So?"

The princess replied, "Blackfire has an army of Darthax warriors surrounding the planet, and outnumbers my people seven to one. It is a losing fight on these terms, given their strength."

Argent asked, "But not on these terms?"

Starfire responded, "If we can force Blackfire to abandon her army, then they will fall back."

Bushido added, "Seems simple enough. Take off the head and the body follows. Remove Blackfire and her warriors retreat."

Beast Boy commented, "But they outnumber us at least seven to one. How is that simple?"

Bushido states, "I said it seems simple. I didn't say it was simple."

Suddenly, coming out from the ground was a familiar sight - Raven's soul-self which landed inside of the room and with it came out Raven and Terra.

Starfire immediately flew over to Raven and Terra and embraced them in a crushing hug. She screeched, "Eep! Oh friends, it is so glorious to see you again. I was not expecting you to come."

Raven started out saying, "Starfire, you're...", under pained breaths. Terra finished with "crushing us."

Starfire let go, enabling Raven and Terra to breathe better.

Beast Boy asked, "Raven, Terra, how did you get here?"

Raven replied, "I did a little experiment with my soul-self. Apparently I can use it to travel through space and support a person inside of it during so as well. That's how we got here."

Argent commented, "And the breathing gear?"

Terra answered, "Better safe than sorry."

Raven said, "We came here after hearing what's going on. I take it that Tamaran is in danger from Blackfire."

Starfire meekly stated, "Yes. We need to make Blackfire's army fall back but they are too numerous to engage."

Raven suggested, "Maybe we just need to force Blackfire away from Tamaran. And I might be able to help with that."

Bushido asked, "How?"

Raven replied, "Trust me."

* * *

Back on Earth, Slade was hooked up to the URB, inserting his thoughts into the device, which it would transmit to his younger self several years ago. He was asleep, almost calm with himself, which was a rarity nowadays, given the intense amount of stress he was under and the strain of losing all three of his children to Claw and Zatanna.

Right now the computer on the device read _Twelve percent complete_. That meant twelve percent of the intended message Slade intended to send through the reset button has been transferred. It had been roughly six hours since Slade began the transfer. However, the first fifty percent of the transfer takes considerably longer than the second fifty percent.

Slade knew he had to make the URB count, since he only got one use of it and it would not accept him for a second usage. While the universe is reset, there is a collective consciousness that monitors the universal resets. Only once had the universe been reset before - by the Monitor in a time roughly seventy years in future to a hundred years into the past to ensure that the universe's many dimensions could not be merged into one mass dimension for his opposite, the Anti-Monitor to conquer.

* * *

_I was back in my base a few years ago, watching my apprentice at work. I had implanted nanoscopic probes into the other four Titans - Cyborg, Beast Boy, Starfire, and Raven. And I would threaten to activate them and destroy them if Robin did not acquiesce to my will completely._

_I first had Robin steal the thermal blaster prototype from the Jump Military Lab, which I would later arm him with upon its completion. The Titans showed up on the scene, having spent over an hour looking for Robin after they discovered the Chronoton Detonator was a fake (and when they were injected with the probes, which they did not know, however)._

_I knew all four of them were surprised by the turn of events as Robin made a clean getaway, not saying one word to them and maintaining a calm composure as the adrenaline built up inside of him. He was thrilled to be stealing for me, but he obviously denied it._

_After he returned me with the blaster, I later modified it for handheld usage, putting it on Robin's right wrist to accompany the other gadgets I had equipped my apprentice with. Robin said, "This deal can't last forever" as I was tinkering with the blaster._

_My response was, "It can and will. They have no idea that the probes are in their system and can survive for decades, undetected."_

_He snarled at me, "You will let your guard down, and once that happens, I will get that remote and when they are out of harm's way, you will pay."_

_I had to say, "That sounds like a threat. A good threat, actually. Betrayal, destruction, revenge. We really do think alike." I was marveled at the fact he was becoming more like me every second. I was thinking that the probes may be unnecessary if I could completely break his will and turn him into me. Maybe he'd have asked me to finish off his former friends. That was before, of course, I knew the truth about the team's other bird._

_I commented to him that soon enough I would soon become like a father to him. Robin growled back at me, "I already have a father." That comment would make his next target all the more bittersweet - Wayne Enterprises. I knew who Batman was, and by extension, who Robin was as well. It really wasn't that hard to figure out._

_Robin went in to get the chip from the vault in the lower level of the building when the Titans appeared, led by Cyborg to stop Robin. He fled to the roof and tried to get away, but I ordered him to turn back and fight, else his friends get killed by my probes._

_Soon the four-on-one fight began. Cyborg started out with sonic cannon fire, which Robin excellently dodged before delivering two strokes to Cyborg's arm joints, causing him to fall down. It became apparent that both sides were going to hold back, which was not going to turn Robin into my apprentice._

_The green one, Beast Boy, was next, clawing at Robin as bear, but he used the binding adhesive, similar to the sticky X's he used in his ill-fated ruse to infiltrate my plans, to bind Beast Boy's arms and legs together._

_Starfire fired a starbolt then, out of the blue, and struck Robin in the side, blasting him back. Robin returned fire with the thermal blaster on his wrist, which sent her off the building. He didn't kill her - which would have been counter-productive despite being a bit of a relief that one of the Titans was down - but merely caused her to fall onto a neighboring building._

_It was then Robin against Raven, and Robin delivered a series of kicks and punches towards Raven which she blocked using her black energy (which I had thought was magic at the time). Raven used her "magic" to grab Robin's leg and throw him over to the edge of the roof. Before Robin could resume the attack, Starfire returned and was aiming a starbolt at him._

_I commanded him to return fire but he refused and instead lowered his weapon. I activated the probes, causing the four Titans to become glowing red as they fell down in pain on the ground. I ordered Robin to attack, but he continued to hesitate._

_What caught my attention, though, was Raven. She had gotten up and according to my monitors, her system was actually fighting the probes, destroying them. I did not think it was possible, unless she had a truly excellent healing ability._

_Seconds later, the probes were all destroyed inside of her and Raven returned to her normal colors. Raven attacked Robin, blasting the thermal blaster out off of his wrist. However, Robin threw a S-shuriken at her, which she forced onto the ground before raising him in her "magic", which sent him crashing into the A of the building._

_Realizing that the fight had continued, I stopped the probe attack, and allowed the other Titans to continue their fight against their former leader, which became much more aggressive and vicious than it had before._

_At last, I ordered Robin to withdraw and he vanished from sight without a trace. While I had to admire my apprentice's work, my surprise came in the form of Raven. I had thought she was merely a witch, and was not supposed to be anywhere near that powerful._

_I said to myself, "I'd go to hell and back to find out the truth about her." What irony._

* * *

On Tamaran, Starfire introduced Galfore to Raven and Terra as they worked out their plan for defeating Blackfire. Because Raven could fly in space, she would sneak around back and send a crippling blast to take out most of the right flank of the Darthax fleet.

Tamaranean artillery would handle the left flank, which would be instantly moved to fill in spaces in the weakened right flank. This attack would force the Darthax to come closer to Tamaran, where the defenders would hold the advantage.

Argent, Cyborg, and Terra would handle the Darthax ships that reach the planet and destroy them while Beast Boy, Bushido, and Starfire would go onboard the Darthax flagship to defeat Blackfire.

If all went according to plan, the Tamaraneans would take out the majority of the Darthax and force them to fall back for another day, not caring about their new leader's orders.

The next morning, the Titan and Tamaranean force quickly mobilized as Raven used her soul-self to fly out and get behind the Darthax fleet. While this move would not normally be condoned by Tamaran, desperate times called for desperate measures.

Galfore gave the signal to Raven and she unleashed a massive wave of her black energy on the Darthax fleet. Within seconds, close to three million fighters fell and were destroyed. Raven was expecting something much less powerful, but she had yet to experiment with the abilities she acquired from Trigon's destruction at her hand.

With the Darthax right flank crippled, many ships quickly flooded in to support the falling right flank. As a result, the left flank and center became much less armored, enabling Tamaranean artillery (large cannons using starbolt ammunition) to further cripple the left flank.

With both flanks falling apart, Blackfire ordered the ships to move onto Tamaran, knowing that they might gain the advantage if they closed the distance, knowing that now it was only 4-to-1 for them, and that was quickly closing.

Little did she know, her own ship was under attack from within. Blackfire was quick to discover the three intruders, who were cutting down her warriors like they were nothing.

Her Darthax advisor suggested closing the doors so they couldn't get in, but Blackfire told him, "Let them come. They will fall."

Darthax ships soon reached the lower atmosphere of Tamaran, now roughly fifty meters above the surface. Those ships however soon met a quick demise thanks to Cyborg's sonic cannon, Argent's crimson constructs, and Terra's rocks. The surviving ships quickly abandoned their route and flew away from Tamaran as fast as they flew to Tamaran.

At last, Starfire, Bushido, and Beast Boy arrived in the main watchroom where Blackfire was waiting for them, clad in a Drenthax battle uniform, with black razor wristguards, a tight corset and jacket, a pair of shorts, and a sharp pointed helmet.

Blackfire opened fire with her starbolts, blasting the three apart before going to engage her sister. Starfire's eyes glowing as green as they could, Starfire demanded "Blackfire, surrender at once."

Blackfire replied in the form of two black starbolts coming from her eyes and impacting Starfire. Drenthax warriors quickled converged on Beast Boy and Bushido, but the two of them quickly fended them off.

Meanwhile, the sister fight quickly spread into space, where Blackfire was seeing that her fleet had all but fallen apart, with major holes in the flanks that Tamaranean artillery was quickly expanding. Her massive fleet, which numbered close to fourteen million upon the start of her attack a month ago, now numbered less than two million and decreasing rapidly.

Blackfire was filled with rage and began attacking Starfire in blind fury, quickly gaining the upper hand before sending Starfire crashing into the ship. Before Blackfire could go to finish off her sister, she was met with an unexpected energy uppercut from Raven, who demonstrated the drawbacks of attacking Tamaran.

Blackfire managed to get a crafty starbolt out and impacted Raven's helmet. The Titans watched as Raven's source of air vanished and she was now breathing in nothing, which would be certain to kill her.

However, Raven's head did not swell, but remained the same. Raven smirked, "Wow, I guess now I can breathe in space." Raven resumed her attack on Blackfire, who quickly flew out of Raven's sight, knowing she would not win this fight.

Starfire brought Beast Boy and Bushido back to the surface, and Raven followed them down as they watched the remains of the Drenthax fleet fly away.

Cyborg asked, "So what will become of Blackfire?"

Galfore responded, "She remains at large. But judging by the fiasco her attack on us was, she is unlikely to gain more allies. The Drenthax will report Blackfire across the galaxy, and they hold considerable sway amongst other fleets. The Citadel and Gordonians may ally with her, but they won't acquire much ground."

Raven at last came down as Argent asked her, "Raven, where's your helmet?"

The response Argent got was from the demonling, "Apparently, I can breathe in space. Much like Starfire."

Galfore said to the group of Titans, "I thank you for your service here. You saved Tamaran from destruction."

Starfire responded to Galfore, "You are most welcome, Galfore."

Cyborg said, "As much as I'd like to hang around, we have to get back to Earth."

Bushido added, "The T-Ship holds five, we have seven."

Raven said, "I'll just fly home."

Starfire then responded, "And I shall join her."

Beast Boy said, "Very well."

Six of the Titans began walking over to the T-Ship, which Cyborg had finished rebuilding with the help of the Tamaranean engineers - who knew quite a lot of stuff about engine repair.

Before Raven could join them, Galfore grabbed Raven's shoulder and turned her around. Raven took off her hood and faced Galfore.

Galfore said, "Raven, when you first arrived on Tamaran, I knew you were the Gem of Skaath. However, I knew that you were not going to be the end of the world."

Raven asked, "How?"

Galfore responded, "Faith. You must believe in the good in souls for the world to succeed. You have undergone a lot of strain trying to figure out what is good and what is bad."

Raven replied, "Given what I am, that definitely was an issue for me in the past. I think I have figured it out now."

Galfore warned, "Beware, Raven. You may think two people are doing things for good, but you must be able to choose the side that is the true good when the decision must be made. One is always the true good, the other the false good."

Raven stated, "Thank you Galfore", before going on her way to meet up with the others where the T-Ship is, thinking about what Galfore had said, which fuses together with everything she knows so far. She has a bad feeling that she will soon have to choose sides in an impossible decision - and in that regard, she is correct.


	42. Travel and Truth

**Author's Notes**

To everlostneverfound, this is the chapter where Raven will find out the truth, but it won't be until next chapter that she finally makes her decision. Regarding Jinx's "demand", Raven knew that Jinx would probably make a huge fuss and try to escape and make the Titans' lives a lot more of a hassle - that demand was a sort-of-promise to ensure that Jinx would at least have a last hurrah. Not to mention that Raven was still trying to figure herself out at the time - an "experience" with Jinx was definitely on the menu at the time.

To Xxsnow dreamxX, Slade was always an enigma on the show (never revealing his true plan until the last moment), so this element sort of works in this story as well.

To JP-Rider, the finale is definitely going to be interesting, especially since Raven will soon know the truth.

Hard to believe it folks, but we're down to the final four chapters of the story.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

With Tamaran's safety assured from Blackfire and the T-Ship complete, the Titans quickly began to enter the ship, as it would be around time for them to be returning to Earth - it was around fifty-eight Earth hours since they left, and it would take fourteen hours to get back.

Raven was heading towards them, having been pulled aside by Galfore to discuss her past and her alleigances. Cyborg asked, "Yo Raven, what was holding you?"

Raven responded, "Galfore had a little talk with me. Nothing you need to be worried about."

Beast Boy added, "I still can't believe you and Terra came here."

Terra's answer was, "Slade may have told you to temporarily leave, but he didn't say we couldn't join you. And you probably needed the help, BB."

Cyborg jumped into the pilot's pod. On the left and right wings came Argent and Terra, while Bushido got the center pod and Beast Boy got the tail pod. Raven and Starfire were outside of the T-Ship, ready to fly the way back to Earth.

Starfire asked, "Ready?"

Cyborg replied, "Ready."

Raven soon added, "Ready to go."

With that, Starfire launched herself into the air and the T-Ship soon followed before Raven began her flight into space, getting ready for a long flight back to Earth.

* * *

Back at the Jump City Hospital, Gizmo was still laying unconscious after his jetpack was sabotaged and caused him to crash into a forest. Jinx and Kid Flash were anxiously awaiting news on his status, hoping he would wake up soon.

The head doctor at the hospital, Doctor Margaret Lockes, came into the room to inform Jinx and Kid Flash about Gizmo's condition.

Jinx asked, "Well?"

Dr. Lockes said, "Well, Gizmo is going to need a new knee for certain. His shoulders we will be able to reset but his arms will be unable to do anything for a few months. He needs additional surgery to repair the damage in his ribs and pelvis, but other than that, he will survive. Based on the trauma impact, he should be waking up within the next twenty-four hours."

Kid Flash responded, "Thank you, doctor."

Doctor Lockes left Gizmo's room, leaving Kid Flash and Jinx alone again with the still unconscious Gizmo, hoping he would wake up soon. The Titans were going to have quite a few questions for him about what happened to him.

* * *

It had been roughly forty hours since the transfer had started in Slade's base. The computer on the universal reset button now read _Sixty four percent complete_. At its current rate, the transfer should be done in a matter of hours.

Once the transfer was complete, Slade would wake up and be ready to activate the device, effectively resetting time to the date he had already chosen.

Outside of Slade's base, a couple of Slade's hired assistants were placing the three generator cores so Slade could soon activate the device once the transfer had been complete and ready to activate.

The first generator core was placed on the North Pole, firmly planted in the ice with additional supports such that an icepack collapse would not disturb it. Its position was necessary so when the URB activated, it would be able to cause seismic ripples that would generate the provosional blank vibrations necessary for the provosional blank.

The second generator core was placed in a desert field roughly five hundred kilometers outside of Tunis, Tunisia, with supports placed such that a sandstorm or other shift in weather would cause it to fall out of place. Its position was necessary so when the URB was activated, it would begin generating a current powerful enough so that it would cause the Earth to change directions in rotation, which was key for the time reversal.

The third generator core was placed on Mt. Everest, with supports to prevent a rockslide and other natural phenomenon from shifting it out of its position. The position of this core was necessary because of its height, because on the URB was activated, it would be necessary to go into space to cause gravitational disruptions, which would be necessary for the reversal necessary for the reset to work.

The key device - the monitor-equipped generator core would be later moved to a location of Slade's choice, where it would monitor the progress of the other generator cores. Once they achieved their duties, the key core would cause the universal reset, shifting everything back to the date of the user's choice. Only Slade would know about the URB's use if it was successful, seeing as he would send the message to himself.

* * *

_Omaha, six years ago. I had been discharged from the Army for five years now since I failed my psychological evaluation. They fucking thought I was showing signs of megolamania and paranoia. In hindsight, they were correct. The serum had its effectiveness but not without its price - a toll on my mind._

_In addition, with its intensive healing properties, my body was fighting off the ravages of age - now that I am fifty-five my aging has reached its peak. I would continue to age but my body would never show the signs that my body was older. So while I would continue to live, everyone around me without the full serum in their blood would die. And I was the only person left on the planet with the full serum._

_Of my children, Grant failed to get any of the serum while Rose got the full serum in her bones through birth, and Joseph got half the serum, which didn't include the strength but did include the healing ability._

_After my long career as a US-sponsored mercenary, I had built up myself as one of the most powerful men on the planet - my business was a corporate giant while my persona was not to be taken lightly. Everybody knew that._

_While I had garnered a few friends by this, I had no shortage of enemies because of it. The Jackal. A mercenary for hire who took no mercy in his killings. Nobody could find him unless he wanted to be found. And there had to be a fucking compelling case to lure him out._

_The Jackal was hired to kill me by a party going by "Doc". The first thing he did was abduct Joseph from his school before I could get him home. The Jackal left a note on a knife on my home door saying to come alone if I wanted to see Joseph alive again._

_I went to the meeting place - a mansion outside of Topeka where I brought along with me a machete and a Glock 18 machine pistol. I began clearing the mansion, quickly dispatching everybody present - all of the Jackal's guards._

_In the meanwhile, I left a decoy outside, which was a spare costume of mine filled with one of the Jackal's associates I captured hours earlier. It proved to be a wise decision as the Jackal fired an RPG-7 at the decoy, blowing him up and leaving a huge hole in his chest._

_After dispatching the dozens of guards hidden inside the base, I rushed into the Jackal's room which was next to the balcony where I saw he was holding my son hostage, holding a knife to his throat._

_He demanded of me, "Drop the gun and I let him live." He began to press the knife into Joseph's throat before I dropped the Glock 18 onto the ground._

_"Thank you" was all I heard before he pierced Joey's vocal chords with his knife. After finishing his cut, he threw my son aside before raising a FN FNP Tactical, putting one shot in my shoulder._

_I grabbed the machete and threw it instantly into the Jackal's throat, putting a bloody end to the madman's life. I quickly rushed Joseph to the hospital in an attempt to save his life._

_Hours later, I was informed of the news - he would survive the injuries, but he would never speak again. His vocal chords had been completely severed and the damage would be too great to heal, not to mention there were no matches to replace them._

_Outside of the hospital, I saw Adeline, who was mad as hell with me for what had happened to her son. I attempted to explain myself to her but she pulled a Colt M1911A1 on me - the same pistol I keep on my bedside table._

_She fired one shot before I took the gun away from her. She was aiming between my eyes, but she took away my right eye, causing it to bleed uncontrollably until I bandaged it._

_Adeline got away without charges because of my reputation while I was forced to hide away because of what I had done. A few days later, Wintergreen gave me the message Jackal received from Doc. Turns out Washington wanted me dead. After all of that fucking sweat and blood, after all of those sacrifices, they try to get rid of me._

_That day, I stopped taking orders from humans. I went underground and began to set up my own enterprise. I took control of the criminal underworld in the western United States and nobody dared cross me._

_And that day, when Adeline shot my eye, Deathstroke died. I abandoned the old mask and put a new one on - a metal one-eyed mask. With my records all deleted from the system, I would forever go by Slade._

* * *

The Titans were flying back to Earth from Tamaran, but there was a bit of a silence amongst the seven - largely because of the rift formed because of Beast Boy's hidden facts.

After a few hours, Cyborg opened up, "So Raven? What do you know about Slade's planning now?"

Raven said, "He is building a universal reset button. He intends to undo the mistakes of his past that cost him his family."

Terra added, "That's what he's fucking doing? Wait, he told you? He never told me!"

Raven put forward, "Well he knew I could figure it out and he couldn't hide much anything from me."

Argent asked, "What did he tell you?"

Terra responded, "He told me the plans would be game-changing. He said he couldn't tell me, not yet at least. Even after I completed my task for him."

Bushido inquired, "Which was?"

Terra told Bushido, "To cover three similar devices with rocks. He said only I could do it."

Raven commented, "The generator cores. The devices that would activate the universal reset."

Starfire threw into the conversation, "Friend Cyborg, what do you know about the universal reset button?"

Cyborg said, "Slade intends to reset time. He intends to tell himself in the past what not to do if he wants to '_undo the mistakes of his past_', so he needed the time to put that into a message, which he would send. He would need to program in the date so he could know what exactly to send."

Beast Boy added, "Gizmo. Slade must have had Gizmo program in the URB. And Slade didn't want any loose ends."

Raven said, "Slade killed Dr. Light after getting information on provosional blank and sent the cops after Billy Numerous once he acquired Bohr acid."

Argent said, "The mix of Bohr acid and the C Gizmo stole could cause the provosional blank. That leaves us with one question for him."

Starfire responded, "What did he program in for Slade?"

* * *

The Titans touched down back at Titans Tower roughly seventy-two hours and eleven minutes after they departed, meeting Slade's demands and now they had Terra back.

Before they went anywhere, Raven proceeded to do a full mental check on the geomancer, not wanting them to be tricked by Slade again. Raven learned of Slade's goals of causing the rift in the Titans from Terra's mind and after a long check that went into Terra's past in Markovia, she finished.

Beast Boy inquired, "So?"

Raven said, with a slight reluctance, "Terra's clean. Slade no longer holds influence on her."

Cyborg replied, "Good. Jinx just told me Gizmo woke up. We should check on him."

With that, the seven Titans quickly went to the hospital, via Raven's soul-self where Gizmo was, awake and beginning to gain some semblance of where he is and what happened.

Gizmo asked, "Where the hell am I?"

Jinx replied, "Jump City Hospital. You crashed in the forest and the damage is extensive, unfortunately."

Gizmo came to that realization when his knee hurt and he found he could not move his arms.

Gizmo screeched, "Crap! Who did this to me?"

Terra counter-asked, "Were you with Slade before your crash?"

"Crap! I was. The bastard did this to me. He will pay."

Kid Flash then asked, "What did you do for him?"

Gizmo responded, "He paid me to steal the C and then doubled it to do some programming. The pay. He didn't tell me what it was, but from what I saw it was a universal reset button."

Argent asked, "Did you see what date the device was set for?"

Gizmo said, "Uh, yeah. I think it, was, let me see. April 23, 2015. Is that of any significance?"

Raven shouted out, "Shit. That's the day the Titans formed. Slade intends on redoing the events following our formation."

Beast Boy asked, "When he tried to make Robin his apprentice?"

Cyborg replied, "Yes. But I don't think he wants Robin as his apprentice this time around."

Raven looked in horror at the other Titans, finally realizing what Slade was truly planning on.


	43. Final Decision

**Author's Notes**

To everlostneverfound, Slade won't reset time so he can kill Robin then. He is smart and calculating, so he knows that there would be more problems than solutions if he kills Robin - he would have to face the other four Titans and the League presumably. That is a fight he cannot afford. He wants to go back to when the Titans were formed so he can reset his sights - this time on Raven. Here's a quote from Silently Watches's _Consequences of Misunderstandings_ that explains why: "_Oh, if only I could travel ten years into the past. Why, __**why**__ did I waste my time with Robin and Terra when such a precious treasure lay_ _right in front of my eyes? Raven truly would have been the __**perfect**__ apprentice."_ In his eyes, Robin and Terra were just pretty pennies while Raven was a gold mine.

To Iskandar06, your curiosity will be satisfied as the story draws near.

To Xxsnow dreamxX, everything has finally been revealed. Now, we come to the reactions of these revelations.

To JP-Rider, what happened at the end of the previous chapter meant that Slade is planning on turning back time to when the Titans were formed and redo the events that chronicled season 1 in the show.

Now that the story is almost complete I am planning on two follow-up stories to this one, both of which are unnamed at the moment. One story will be a sequel to this one while the other is an alternate scenario. One of these will be if Slade's plan succeeds and another will be if Slade's plan fails. I won't tell you which is which - but you will find out when Chapter 45 (the epilogue) is posted.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

After hearing what Gizmo had said in the hospital - that Slade was planning on using the URB to reset time to when the Titans were formed, Raven returned to Slade's base in Perth for answers.

She used her keycard to enter the command center only to find Slade long gone and the key device not present. Raven realized Slade was long gone now and was ready to activate the URB.

In anger, Raven screamed as her powers proceeded to tear the room down completely, destroying every last bit in frustration as Slade was missing with a device that will reshape the universe.

Raven thought how could she be so foolish - she gave Slade the energy necessary to reset the universe, so he could enslave her as his apprentice - just what he did to Robin. And with the knowledge he got from himself regarding the events following their formation, Slade would be able to keep Raven as his apprentice by knowing how Robin escaped and what to do to keep her in line.

Raven quickly stormed the base, angrily looking for Slade, believing that he has now gone too far in his plans - now he is willing to reset time so he can conquer the world. Question is, where is he?

He was not anywhere in his base, not in the kitchen, the gym, or his room. Lastly, Raven checked her room and saw that Slade left a letter on her bed.

Raven walked up to the letter and opened it, beginning to read it.

_Dear Raven,_

_By now you know the truth and from there you must decide for yourself who you are. I know this decision is the one you have been running from all of your life, but now you must make it. Why did you kill your father - for his power or for the Earth?_

_Slade_

Raven threw the letter down onto the table, beginning to think about what she has to do. If she were to support Slade, she would have to go up against the Titans - which have considerably grown, many of whom she cared about deeply. If she were to support the Titans, she would have to go up against Slade - the man who saved her from damnation and gave her a reason to live again.

Raven found herself unable to meditate so she had to go to the one place she could always find an answer - Nevermore.

So, she pulled out her mirror to her mind before softly chanting, "Azarath metrion zinthos", which proceeded to send her inside.

* * *

Raven landed on the rocky path that indicated the trail across the Nevermore landscape. There were a few Emoticlones she had to speak to before she could finally make up her mind.

First, it was Wisdom she needed to speak to. Raven arrived at Wisdom's library, which was a tall, circular building that had an infinite amounts of levels, to represent the infinite amounts of knowledge out there and in her mind.

Wisdom materialized, with her yellow cloak and glasses, in front of Raven as she entered the library. Wisdom greeted Raven with "Greetings, Raven. What brings you to the Library of Wisdom?" Raven thought the name was self-serving albeit appropriate.

Raven said, "For too long I have been ambivalent about my path - I have strattled between my good and evil halves for so long. The time has come for me to choose but which side am I to join?"

Wisdom replied, "I was never here to make decisions for you, merely to guide. With the Titans, you have known them for four years ever since you helped save Starfire from the Gordonian slavers. While you lived with them, they never got to know the full you, until the events of the prophecy came along. Then, your ties became severed and while they have been mended, they are not yet completely healed."

Raven commented, "All because Robin was too demanding and egotistical, never able to leave his peace alone."

Wisdom then added, "With Slade, you knew him as your enemy for so long and then the prophecy came and he was the harbinger for your father. He branded you and stripped you half naked in front of your friends and the city. Then he revealed the truth to your friends and caused them to lock you up. However, he freed you and helped you destroy father. Then you two worked to defeat your common enemy."

Raven threw in, "Claw."

"And after that, he invited you to stay with him. You became the daughter he had lost to Claw. You two became closer and closer, much more so than with anybody else. Then, the truth about his new plan came out."

"So what am I supposed to do, Wisdom? Do I help him reset the past or help my friends face the future?"

Wisdom then vanished, her part done - now it was up to Raven to make her decision but before she did, she decided to visit another Emoticlone, one that she hoped had tamed in recent months.

Raven traveled to what appeared to be a fiery pit inside of her mind to find her most dreaded Emoticlone - Rage.

Rage snarled, "So what has the host come to inquire? Her replacement father versus her weakling friends?"

Raven demanded, "Don't talk about them like that. Either of them."

"You came to me, sissy. And the decision is all yours. I have no stake in this. Your friends abandoned you when you most needed it, only to be saved by Slade. And Slade tried to kill you had it not been for your friends. Neither of them can be trusted. Neither is good for you. That is all I can tell you, now scram."

Raven quickly left Rage's domain, noting that even with Trigon's destruction, Rage was no less irritable than before. There was one more Emoticlone that Raven had to visit - one she was unsure about the response of.

Raven went to what appeared to be a grassy knoll with a tree in the distance. She walked up to see Love, wearing little more than a black bikini and panties. Love had little sense of modesty, which Raven frequently disapproved of, but it was Love's realm, so anything went there.

Love threw herself onto Raven, hugging her in a very deep embrace. After a few seconds, Raven forcefully removed herself from Love's hug.

Love screeched, "Welcome Raven. I've been wanting to see you for so long! I have so many more fantasies I want to show you."

Raven responded, "Not now, Love. You know why I'm here."

"Yes, because of the decision you must make. Raven, you need to decide who you care about more and who cares about you more. There can only be one answer, and you need to see it. Robin's actions clouded your judgment and your mind. Remember Raven."

Love vanished seconds later as Raven finally began to realize the truth. Now she knew which side she had to be on. She knew what had to be done.

* * *

Back at Titans Tower, Cyborg was plotting a course of action to try to deal with the URB. Unfortunately, he had no idea where the generator cores were, since they were cloaked very well, perhaps too well.

Before he started, he asked Terra, "What are you going to do, Terra?"

Terra responded, "Slade kept me in the dark for so long, it was like he didn't appreciate me at all. He only wanted to use me. Now I know. I'm with you. Slade must be stopped."

Bushido asked, "Why did you make that choice, Terra?"

Terra said, "I realized that you are perhaps the only people I can trust. And besides, you know the saying..."

Terra was suddenly completed by a familiar face whose soon graced the room with their presence, "...hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

The Titans turned to see, Raven, with her backpack, walking into the room. Starfire quickly hugged Raven as she came in, surprised to see her there.

Beast Boy said, "Raven? What are you doing here?"

Raven replied, "When Slade killed Doctor Light, he made me make a promise to him. To end his life if he went too far. And now I know he has gone too far. Unfortunately, he's gone and I can't find him."

Cyborg added, "Welcome to the club."

Raven grabbed a sheet of paper from her backpack and tossed it onto the table. She remarked, "Those are the locations of the generator cores for the universal reset button. The first core, in the North Pole, will cause the provosional blank necessary for the shift in the Earth. The second core, in Tunisia, will cause a reversal in the rotation of the Earth. The third core, on Mount Everest, will cause gravitational disruptions. Slade is with the fourth core where he will activate the URB and cause a mix of C and Bohr acid, which combined with the other three cores, will trigger the reset."

Argent commented, "We know the locations of three of the cores. What do we do now?"

Raven said, "Argent, go to the North Pole with Beast Boy, meet up with Kole and Gnarrk. Terra, get Bumblebee, Speedy, and Hot Spot, go to Tunis. Starfire, get Red Star, Thunder, and Lightning - get the one on Mount Everest. I'll take Jinx and Kid Flash for the fourth core. Cyborg, I'll need you to track down the fourth core. Proximation number Delta Zulu Three Nine Four Tango X-Ray Five Seven One Zero Whiskey Eight Four. Have the other Titans be on the lookout for Slade. He could be anywhere."

Cyborg responded, "Okay. We don't have a lot of time. Slade could begin at any minute now."

Raven cooly smirked, "Titans go."

* * *

Meanwhile, from his base, Slade looked at his fourth generator core, where the computer was for activating the universal reset button, or URB for short. All of fruits had come to fruition.

Slade had everything ready, having hundreds of Slade-bots flooding across the globe to distract the Titans long enough for the URB to be ready. There were dozens of Slade-bots with him now, ready to attack anyone threatening the URB.

Slade said, "Now, it begins."

He pressed the red master button on the core and then the URB began to activate. It would take a few hours before the device would be fully operational, but by now he knew that Raven and the Titans knew the truth.

Slade looked at three satellite cameras to observe the three generator cores beginning to work. The North Pole core was beginning to create ripples that were shaking both the ice and the surrounding ocean. Down below the icepack, Kole and Gnarrk were heading towards the surface, intending to meet up with Argent and Beast Boy to take out the core.

They had to stop the core now if they wanted to keep their home from falling apart in the intensity of the sonic vibrations.

The Tunis core was beginning to cause a sandstorm that would generate a massive wind current and begin to force the reversal of the Earth's rotation. Terra was on her rock, heading towards the sandstorm with Bumblebee flying beside her, trying to dodge the heavy sand heading right towards them. Hot Spot and Speedy were also there, on Terra's rock in hopes of getting a clean shot to take out the device.

The North Pole core was beginning to elevate into space, which began to force the gravity on Earth to become much less even and more disrupted, which was light at the moment, but would become much heavier if not stopped soon. Starfire and Red Star were flying up to the top of Mount Everest, where Thunder and Lightning were going to meet them and stop the core.

Meanwhile, Raven, Jinx, and Kid Flash were trying to find wherever Slade was with the fourth generator core - the key to Slade's whole plan. They weren't having much luck as they knew their time was running down.

Suddenly, Raven began to get three calls at the same time on her T-Communicator, which Cyborg gave her before she left.

The first call was from Kole, "We have robots pinning us down. We're trapped. And so are Beast Boy and Argent."

The second call was from Speedy, "Yo, Raven. Slade-bots are blocking our path to the generator core. They're aimed at the sky so we can't risk an air assault. Send help."

The third call was from Starfire, "Friend Raven, Slade has his robots attacking us and we are quickly losing ground."

* * *

**Up Next:** Where is Slade? Can the Titans stop Slade's universal reset button? Will Raven fulfill the promise she made to Slade?


	44. Battle to the End

**Author's Notes**

To Xxsnow dreamxX, the end has certainly arrived and this battle is going to be interesting and very big.

To everlostneverfound, you'll find out this chapter where Slade is, but I won't tell you now. The URB can be stopped, but the question will be whether or not they do - Raven picked the Titans she did to go after each component because of the location and their skill set, which left her after the main generator core (if it is stopped, then the reset is deactivated). Raven won't be able to go everywhere at once while she is hunting Slade (which is also to fulfill the promise she made to him earlier in the act). Fortunately, there is a solution that will come up.

Okay, we are here. The penultimate chapter of _Betrayed, Cast Off, Angry_. The end will begin here but there will be an epilogue that follows this that wraps up the story - and reveals which of the intended follow-ups is the sequel and which one is the alternative scenario.

Now, let's continue the story.

* * *

The Titans were trying to shut down the universal reset button to prevent Slade from resetting time back to when the Titans originally formed, which would give him a better chance at taking over the city by knowing what he did wrong the first time and undoing it.

However, they have hit quite a roadblock. Slade has hundreds of Slade-bots surrounding the generator cores that make up the universal reset button.

In the North Pole, Kole and Gnarrk were currently trapped beneath the ice by Slade-bots opening fire on the surface entrance, unable to get out and rendezvous with Beast Boy and Argent, who were also trapped behind one of Argent's shields as they met heavy Slade-bot fire as well.

The generator core was creating the seismic ripples necessary to begin the provosional blank that would be able to force the shift of the Earth's crust. If the Titans weren't able to break out in the next few minutes, the core would finish charging and Slade would be able to activate the provosional blank.

In Tunisia, Terra, Bumblebee, Speedy, and Hot Spot were pinned down behind Terra's rock barriers as Slade-bots were aimed at the sky and around the path to the generator core there. Speedy was able to take out a couple of Slade-bots with his bow and arrow, but there were far too many Slade-bots firing at them for Speedy to be able to keep up the fire on them.

Terra and Bumblebee tried to send rocks and shocks at the Slade-bots, but Bumblebee was not in the necessary range to take down the Slade-bots and Terra was quickly burning through her ammunition. Hot Spot was trying to burn through the Slade-bots, but he could not stay exposed long enough to score a lot of critical hits.

The generator core there was causing a sandstorm that also was beginning to blind the four Titans there, and if it weren't stopped within the next few minutes, the current pulsating from the sandstorm would be strong enough that the Earth's rotation would be completely disrupted and then reverse and Slade would be able to begin the reset.

On Mount Everest, while Starfire, Red Star, Thunder, and Lightning had made it near the top, Slade-bots had trapped them on the peak and surrounded them, making it impossible for them to make a move on the generator core and forcing them into a small cave.

They had some defensive positions, but they were unable to attack without risking heavy fire as the Slade-bots surrounded the entire perimeter with their laser cannons.

The generator core had already launched itself into space and it was currently absorbing the energies from the other two generator cores, which it would then transfer to the master generator core Slade has. It was also beginning to force disruptions in normal gravity, and unless it was stopped within the next few minutes, the Earth's gravity would be completely shaken.

The Titans had overcome impossible odds before, but these odds were beyond the impossible they had achieved. Was this it, were they going to lose a battle that would ultimately have no meaning whatsoever? Were they going to deal with a reset universe and not even know what happened? Was Slade finally going to win?

* * *

Back at Titans Tower, Cyborg was continuing to track the signal from the proximation number Raven gave him. That was the number of the computer Slade used onto the monitor. If he could track it, they would have Slade's location, and Slade could not shut down the signal without causing the URB to shut down.

However, while Slade could not shut down the signal, he could jam the satellites Cyborg was using to track it, which made it much harder for him to locate. What Cyborg was able to confirm though, was that Slade was not in Jump City or in Perth. That left almost the entire globe to go.

And time was not on their side - while the three generator cores were almost completely ready, the reset would take a few more hours because the energies from the cores would have to be absorbed into the master core before Slade could activate the reset. At the rate they were going, they would have only been able to check sixty percent of the globe before Slade activated the URB.

Still, if they could destroy the three generator cores already there, they may be able to buy themselves some time to find Slade's base. They just needed to break through the massive walls of Slade-bots.

Raven called Herald and asked him to come to the Tower. Upon arriving, Herald asked Raven, "What's up?"

Raven said, "Herald, I need you to transport reinforcements to these locations. It's their only chance. Our only chance to prevent a universal reset."

Herald replied, "On it, Raven."

* * *

In the North Pole, just as things were beginning to look bleak, a familiar trumpet horn was heard. It was the Horn of Gabriel - used by one Titan to generate portals to anywhere. Herald's trumpet portal opened up and out of the portal came Wonder Girl, Bushido, and Kilowatt.

Kilowatt zapped over to the surface entrance to Kole and Gnarrk's underworld before proceeding to unleash a shocking electric current through the Slade-bots present, destroying them and causing them to fall apart.

With the path clear, Kole and Gnarrk surfaced. Kole turned herself into crystal and Gnarrk picked her up, ready to use her to take out the Slade-bots.

Near Beast Boy and Argent, Bushido proceeded to slice the heads off of several of the Slade-bots, causing them to fall apart. Wonder Girl used her lasso to redirect the laser fire of the Slade-bots, causing them to take each other out.

With the cover clear, Beast Boy and Argent headed towards the URB. Several Slade-bots came their way, but Beast Boy turned into a sabre-toothed tiger and clawed them apart and Argent created crimson anvils that bashed in the remaining Slade-bots.

Gnarrk was using Kole to club the Slade-bots in their way, taking them down without difficulty. At last, the Titans reached the URB and they had to figure out how to shut it down.

Beast Boy got a ringing from his communicator from Raven. He answered, "We're at the generator core. How do we stop it?"

Raven deadpanned, "Smash it apart."

Argent commented, "That is easy."

Gnarrk grabbed Kole and proceeded to repeatedly smash apart the generator core apart, knocking off the first part of it. Argent then generated several crimson hammers that broke bits and pieces off of the device while Beast Boy turned into a jaguar and ripped out the core of the device.

Beast Boy said, "The generator core is destroyed."

Raven replied, "Good. That should buy us some time. We've still got two more cores to take out and one more to find and destroy."

* * *

Things were just as bleak in Tunisia as they were in the North Pole minutes earlier. It was becoming much harder for the Titans to break through the ever-fortifying line of Slade-bots in the desert with a sandstorm coming.

What came to their relief, however, was the sound of Herald's horn. A portal came out which revealed Pantha, Wildebeest, and Mas y Menos. Mas y Menos shouted their signature chant, "Mas y menos si podemos!" and were off.

In seconds, the Slade-bots that were firing upon the Titans sent to take out the generator core were knocked over, and Speedy grabbed an explosive arrow and fired it at the fallen Slade-bots, destroying them.

Elsewhere, Pantha and Wildebeest proceeded to slam the Slade-bots apart with ease, destroying them viciously and easily. With the numbers of Slade-bots rapidly decreasing, Hot Spot proceeded to get out of the hiding spot and burned several of the Slade-bots guarding the generator core.

Terra then proceeded to smash apart many other Slade-bots as they advanced on her and Bumblebee, who used her stingers to zap many of the remaining Slade-bots.

Once they were down, the Titans quickly rushed to the generator core, hoping to avoid being caught in the heavy sandstorm that was forming around them and threatening to blind them. Terra thought, _Beast Boy would really have been useful right about now_.

After managing to brave the heavy sandstorm that nearly caught them up, they reached the device. Terra called Raven and said, "We're here Raven. How do we shut it down?"

Raven replied, "If you heard anything about how the first went down, it won't apply here. You need to strip the rock coating off of the generator core before you have to cause an electric surge that shuts it down."

With that, Terra went to work as her eyes glowed yellow, which proceeded to cause the rock coating she earlier applied to the URB generator core to begin to come off.

One by one, the rocks peeled off, exposing more and more of the tanks that composed the core. Within seconds, the rocks had completely been ripped from the core, exposing the entirety of it.

Bumblebee went up to the generator core and brought up her two stingers to it, reaching them into a keyhole inside of the core. Bumblebee activated the stingers and a flux of electricity flew right through the device, which began to cause it to heat up and overload.

Bumblebee removed her stingers as electric sparks literally started to fly from the machine. The Titans moved away as the light that was beeping heavily and lightly lit burned out, causing the device to fall over onto its side.

Seconds later, the sandstorm had dissapated, thus giving pure visibility to the Titans again.

Speedy said, "Yo, Rae. The sandstorm's down. The generator core has been taken down. This thing done yet, honey?"

Raven responded (with some bitterness), "We still have one more generator core - the Everest one plus we have to find Slade and the master core. And don't call me honey, Tiny Stick."

Terra chuckled slightly, "Tiny Stick?"

Bumblebee deadpanned the response to Terra, "It's referring to the size of his..."

Speedy interrupted, "We don't need to talk about it alright. Let's go." Speedy walked away but Bumblebee moved closer to Terra to deliver the answer.

Bumblebee finished, "...manhood."

Speedy replied (loudly), "I heard that."

* * *

On Mount Everest, Starfire, Thunder, and Lightning had gotten some success in taking down some of the Slade-bots, but they remained surrounded by hundreds of Slade-bots floating around them. It was going to be a hell of a fight to get up there, and what's worse was their gravitational place was being interfered by the generator core.

Starfire was unable to fly or stand on the ground normally, nor could the others, making this a very difficult time as the Slade-bots continued to open fire on them.

Just like in the North Pole and Tunisia, help came in the form of Herald's horn. Coming into the cave was Aqualad, Argent, and Speedy. Argent asked, "What's the bloody situation here?"

Thunder said, "We are surrounded by robots from Slade. We cannot get through without being attacked."

Aqualad then replied, "Leave that to us."

Suddenly, the snow on the mountain began to come down right onto the Slade-bots, which was soon discovered to be water. This resulting reaction caused several Slade-bots to short-circuit and be destroyed.

Argent then came out and created a couple of crimson katana blades to attack the Slade-bots. Within seconds, dozens of Slade-bots fell off the mountain, having been cut to pieces by Argent.

Speedy led Starfire and Red Star out of the cave, getting them towards the top where they had to go from there to the generator core that had launched itself into space.

Red Star opened his communicator and called Raven, getting a quick answer. "Comrade Raven, how do we stop the generator core on the Mountain Everest?"

Raven said, "Get to the generator core in space. Red Star, use your powers to press onto the top of the core. This will disrupt the gravitational disruptment systems. Starfire, take an arrow from Speedy and use it to open up the hatch on the bottom of the generator core. Then, turn the dial that is revealed by opening the hatch. That will turn off the generator core."

Starfire said, "On it", before grabbing one of Speedy's plain arrows. Starfire and Red Star flew up into the air, getting into space to reach the generator core.

Red Star asked, "Ready comrade Starfire?"

Starfire replied, "Ready friend Red Star."

With that, Red Star reached the top of the generator core and began to squeeze on it, which began to cause obvious sparks coming out from the device. Below the generator core, Starfire used Speedy's arrow to bash open the generator core hatch, which would reveal the dial.

After several seconds of bashing in the arrow until it broke, the hatch finally opened. Starfire quickly turned the dial, which proceeded to turn off the generator core. She quickly grabbed Red Star and flew back to Earth as the generator core drifted off into space, never to be seen again.

Lightning said, "Mission accomplished."

Raven commented, "The generator cores are done, but they've accessed enough energy so that the master core can activate the reset. It's all uploading into the main core now, which means in a few hours, Slade will be able to reset time. We need to find Slade's base and shut down the universal reset button. Then it will be mission accomplished."

* * *

In his base, Slade watched as the Titans took down his three generator cores without difficulty. However, the universal reset button was still intact, rendering him still able to complete his plans to reset time.

Slade commented to himself, "Well done, Titans. Well done. Especially you, Raven. You are an expert tactician. Part of the ways we are so much alike. She truly is the perfect apprentice, the perfect successor. It is a shame that she will not even realize it once the plan is complete."

Slade took a look at the monitor on the universal reset button and saw that it said, _Forty six percent charged_. It was going smoothly and he was sure the Titans would be unable to find him in time, especially by tracking the computer. By now, a number of the satellites had been jammed, making it harder for Cyborg to get an actual fix on the URB.

* * *

_April 23, 2015. I was running the Jump City underworld with much more of an iron fist. A few days ago, I had assassinated crime bosses Scloretto and Dashov and gained access to the Warren Labs, which was truly a military lover's dream. That would give me access to my robot army and to Cinderblock and Overload. Plasmus was in custody, but he would soon be free._

_However, I was not at Warren Labs then, that day. Another development had struck my eye. The previous night, there had been a massive battle throughout Jump City. What appeared to be an alien girl fighting Robin, an elf, and a hooded robot - all four were powerful players but nothing was clear._

_Everything soon became clear when a black raven appeared in front of the three boys, and a cloaked witch came out, telling them that fighting wasn't the answer. Robin came to his senses and uncuffed the alien, whom they soon discovered wasn't a prisoner but actually a prize for the Gordonians under the merciless Lord Trogaar._

_After the five kids beat up the Gordonian scouting party, Trogaar threatened to blow up the city. That would have been bad for business - who would want to work in a city that was blown to hell? After an argument between the five, featuring a memorable, "Quiet...hi" from the witch, they knew they had to stop Trogaar before he blew up the city._

_The witch teleported them onto the ship and from what I could tell, a massive battle took place that ended with the ship breaking in two, because of the witch's doing and the Gordonians were defeated. Happy ending for the five kids._

_And now I patiently watched them as they introduced themselves. Robin, the Boy Wonder. Beast Boy, the elf and a changeling. Cyborg, the half-robot who abandoned his covering sweatshirt. Starfire, the alien prize. Raven, the witch. They would soon become the Teen Titans, one team dedicated to fighting crime in the city._

_This would be just as bad as Trogaar destroying the city. Now I had competition for the city with a bunch of teenagers. Superpowered teenagers. If I were to go to combat with them, I would need to know everything about them. Their strengths, their weaknesses, everything. I would have to take them down in a way that it would not bring in the Justice League._

_They already had countless charges filed against me already. Why add five more counts of murder?_

_As I watched the five Titans as they began to build their T-shaped tower out of the fallen remains of the ship, I noticed some attributes of myself in both Robin and Raven. Robin's fighting style, his determination, his stubbornness, his mind. Raven's anti-social behavior, her vocal energy, her mind, her power. They would both prove to be remarkable apprentice candidates._

_However, I made the wrong decision. I thought nothing of Raven, believing her to be nothing more than a girl with inherited witch powers. Robin, I felt at the time, was more like me, cunning and devious, someone that could be molded into me. Lessons had to be learned, and they would be the ones to teach them._

_This was the very beginning._

* * *

The Titans were regrouped at the Tower, anxiously trying to locate Slade's base where he has the universal reset button. They only had an hour or so left to find Slade and the URB, but they still had no clue where he was. Cyborg was trying to track him down, but he could say for certainty that Slade was not in the Southern Hemisphere, which was able to help narrow his location somewhat.

Raven was trying to meditate to regain her focus and try to locate Slade. During her meditation, she was interrupted by the beeping of her T-communicator, indicating that somebody was trying to contact her.

She answered her communicator in a slightly bitter tone, saying "Hello?"

Raven was surprised to hear the voice on the other side, "Raven? What's going on?" It was Melvin.

Raven asked, "Can you tell me what's happening?"

Melvin replied, "The monastery is completely dark. Someone is taking out the power."

Raven said, "There should be enough power in Bucharest to support the monastery, unless...I think I know what's happening. Hang in there, Melvin."

Melvin responded, "Will do."

Raven hung up the communicator and rushed over to the main ops room where Cyborg was working to track down Slade.

Raven said upon coming in, "Slade's in Bucharest."

Cyborg asked, "How do you know?"

Raven answered, "Melvin called and said there was no power at the monastery. The URB requires a lot of power, enough to drain most of the city, including the monastery. Check Bucharest. Find him. Kid Flash, Jinx, get ready."

Kid Flash and Jinx zipped up to Raven as Cyborg was continuing to track down a signal in Bucharest. The URB was consuming a lot of power in the city, which was weakening the jammers around there.

Cyborg said, "Keyola Building."

With that, Raven engulfed Jinx and Kid Flash in her soul-self as they zipped off towards the Keyola Building in Bucharest, intending to finally catch Slade.

* * *

The three arrived in the building only to be met by stiff opposition in the lobby in the form of dozens of Slade-bots. Slade had locked himself in with the URB deep in the basement of the building and set wards that prevented Raven from teleporting in or Kid Flash from vibrating in.

Raven unleashed a burst of soul-self energy onto the Slade-bots, knocking a lot of them down as Kid Flash and Jinx began to work on the rest. Jinx fired pink hexes into many of the Slade-bots, which caused their chests to explode and knocked them down, as dead as a deactivated robot could be. Kid Flash was zipping through the Slade-bots, quickly ripping off their limbs as he delivered blows to their heads.

Their attacks were effective, but the Slade-bots were holding an advantage in numbers. While delivering a rapid attack to a Slade-bot, Kid Flash was knocked out by another Slade-bot behind him. Jinx's hexes were effective but they were only good for one at a time as Slade-bots overwhelmed her and made it hard for her to use her hexes against them.

Raven was trying to avoid the Slade-bots while trying to take them down and save her captive allies, but she was surrounded and soon winded by a surprise blast to the shoulder. The three were overwhelmed and about to be taken down when unexpected help showed up. Truly unexpected help.

Melvin, Timmy, and Teether rode in on Bobby who then began his attack on the remaining Slade-bots, destroying them to save Kid Flash, Jinx, and Raven.

Karen the Dove soon flew in to finish off the remaining Slade-bots, delivering powerful attacks through flapping its wing to send Slade-bots crashing into the wall.

Raven got up and said, "Thanks guys. I thought you were told to stay at the monastery."

Melvin countered, "You didn't tell us not to come here."

Raven replied, "Touche. Now we have to move."

With that, the three Titans and the three kids moved through the basement, rushing to find Slade and where he was. They only had a little time left before the URB could be activated and finally used.

In his base in the Keyola basement, Slade patiently watched the monitor as it rapidly began to increase. _Ninety percent charged. Ninety-one percent charged. Ninety-two percent charged_.

The Titans made their way to the bottom of the basement, where they saw a massive door, which they theorized was where Slade had the URB. Now all they needed was a way inside to get in and defeat Slade.

Jinx tried firing a hex at the door, hoping it would cause the door to fall down, but the door was so heavily reinforced that Jinx's hexes would have no impact on it. Kid Flash tried vibrating through, but he soon discovered that the door was covered in wards that prevented entry. Raven used some of her black energy to try to lift the door or break it down, but it ultimately was unable to have any effect on it.

Since the door was not glass, Timmy was essentially useless in getting in. Melvin sent Bobby and Karen to attack the door to bring it down. They had slightly more of an effect than the others but they were only able to bang the door. It was up to Teether as the monitor on the URB now read _Ninety-six percent charged._

Teether climbed onto the banged door and began to chew threw it, quickly creating a large hole through the door that the Titans were able to get through. Raven picked up Teether and put him on Karen as they looked for Slade and the URB, but there were quite a few doors.

Raven used her empathy to try to sense where Slade was, discovering that there was a significant amount of energy coming from the door on the left. Jinx used a hex to take it down and revealed another door. They quickly went through the doors, trying to beat the clock.

However, they were not lucky as the monitor on the URB now read _Fully charged. Ready to activate_. With that, Slade pressed the master button on the URB, beginning the reset, which would be a three minute process.

Slade began to make his exit, confident that the reset could not be stopped. However, before he could make it through a door, he encountered the party. Not knowing who they were, Slade charged at the brightly-colored one of the bunch. However, before he could attack, he found himself impaled with a black bolt.

The lights grew brighter as Raven walked up towards Slade, who was beginning to die from his wounds. Raven said, "I'm sorry Slade. It had to be done."

Slade responded, "Never be sorry for what you have to do, Raven. Even if you had no choice. I crossed a line. I know that now. And you did what you promised you'd do."

Raven said, "Is it too late to stop the device?"

Slade calmly said, "Not yet. It can be stopped." He slumped over, finally at peace with himself as his eye closed for the last time.

Quickly the six rushed into the next room and saw the URB device, getting ready to activate in one massive pulse that would reset the universe. Raven went to the monitor to see if it could be stopped by there, but the monitor had shut down, making it impossible to just turn off the button to stop it.

Timmy had a solution, however. He quickly unleashed a small screech that shattered the glass on the URB. Raven had a way to shut it down - she could grab the activation energy she put in and deactivate the device.

Raven told the others, "You may want to move away. This will be powerful."

Raven's eyes glew white as black energy quickly flew from her hands into two ports on the URB exposed by Teether, and soon her eyes and chakra both began to unleash dark energy as well.

However, her own energy was beginning to be pushed out, meaning it was beginning to counter it, perhaps rooted too deeply to be removed, indicating that the URB was hanging on. Time was quickly ticking away, as maybe a minute remained before the reset would begin and be permanent.

Raven was persistent. She would refuse to lose. Refuse to let time reset just to make things better again. She knew things were what they were, and nothing could change that. She had to stop the device and began infusing more and more energy into it, beginning to exhaust her.

Raven said in huffed, loud breaths, "Azarath, metrion, zinthos."

* * *

**Up Next**: Did Raven stop the URB? Find out in the final chapter of _Betrayed, Cast Off, Angry_.


	45. Epilogue

**Author's Notes**

No review responses, I'm afraid, which I do find a bit peculiar. I guess the penultimate chapter gets ignored for the finale everybody wants.

To all of the loyal readers who went along for the not-always-smooth journey that was _Betrayed, Cast Off, Angry_, thank you. And now here is the final chapter of the story, one you have been waiting for.

The first of the follow-ups should be posted in a few days. I need some time to get everything straight with the stories. And with two stories I want to do, I won't be able to update them as frequently as I did this one, but I should try to get one chapter for each story done every few days.

Now, let's finish the story.

* * *

Back at Slade's base in Bucharest, Jinx, Kid Flash, Melvin, Timmy, and Teether were watching as Raven furiously tried to deactivate the URB before time would reset time back to when the Titans had formed.

Raven was furiously applying all of her energy against the device, but it wasn't stopping as the activation energy she had earlier applied seemed very unwilling to move out. It was now or never for Raven as time continued to tick away before it would reset in mere moments.

Black energy was flowing from her hands, chakra, and eyes but it was not doing a whole lot against the device. Raven began to pulsate, sending more energy at the URB device with her signature mantra, "Azarath metrion zinthos."

Suddenly, the black energy began to glow white as a similar white glow began to surround both the URB device and Raven herself. It was becoming bright in the room, perhaps too bright as the others were forced to shield their eyes as a powerful white light blasted through.

The group was able to determine when it was over and noticed that time had not reset. They were still there with their memories of the past few months, of when all of this had gone on.

Kid Flash said, "Did we win, Jinx?"

His girlfriend responded, "I don't know, Kid. Raven, are you there?"

Raven painfully responded from the room, "In here."

The five rushed into the room and were somewhat surprised with what they saw. First, they saw that the URB device had been completely destroyed, badly battered and torn apart with considerable gaping holes inside. Then, they saw Raven, who was down on her knees, but it was what she was wearing that surprised them.

She had gone into the building with a black leotard and white cloak. Now, she was wearing all white. They knew that Raven had officially become White Raven, the peak of her powers and emotional control.

Upon seeing Raven, Jinx shouted, "Holy shit, Rae. What happened here?"

Before she answered, Raven scowled at Jinx, saying "Kids in the room, remember?"

Melvin added, "It's okay, Raven. My dad said much worse words when I was around."

Raven then said, "Okay. I pushed my soul-self into the device to take the activation energy out of the URB. Doing so had an unexpected effect, which channeled my untapped demonic energy into me and finally balanced out my emotions. I can't completely explain how this happened, but it just did. My soul-self grabbed the energy and it fused back into me, which caused the damage to the device."

Kid Flash could only say, "Wow. Unbelievable."

* * *

After bringing Melvin, Timmy, and Teether back to the monastery, the three (Raven, Kid Flash, and Jinx) teleported back to Titans Tower, where much to Raven's surprise, the Titans had thrown a surprise party for Raven.

Raven, upon seeing the party, remarked "Oh Azar. What's going on here?"

Cyborg came out and said, "Raven, you saved the world from the URB. You helped us out in one of our darkest hours. This is just our way of saying thanks."

Raven replied, "It's not necessary. I was just doing..."

Terra came out, on Beast Boy, who was a panther, and said, "Your job? Face it, Raven. You've been trying to figure out what you are your entire life. You weren't an official Titan, well at least you were a retired Titan, when this shit all went down. You could have taken any path, and you helped stop Slade. Now you know what you are, Raven. You truly are a hero."

Raven was beginning to blush upon hearing what Terra said. In the background, Kole said, "This is a party, ain't it? Let's get it started."

And in a massive frenzy, the party started. A dance had begun on the dance floor to the tune of Evanesence's "Bring Me to Life". For the party, which had been organized mere seconds after Jinx and Kid Flash confirmed the device's destruction, Cyborg and Speedy assembled a playlist of songs that largely fit Raven and her personality.

On the dance floor, Beast Boy was dancing with Terra, Bumblebee with Cyborg, Kid Flash with Jinx, Pantha with Wildebeest, Hot Spot with Argent, Bushido with Wonder Girl, Kole with Gnarrk, and Starfire with Speedy. At the moment, Raven was sitting out the party, uncertain of if she wanted to join in.

A few moments later, she was greeted by Aqualad, who asked, "Wanna enter the dance floor?"

Raven deadpanned, "I'm not particularly interested in humiliating myself in front of the entire Titan network."

He replied, "Half of these guys probably are, and you know what, they don't care. You're emotionally balanced, Raven, I'm pretty sure for Poseidon's sake, you can afford to have a dance."

Raven shrugged, "Alright" before Aqualad dragged her onto the dance floor, which was now to the tune of Skillet's "Awake and Alive". Raven truly had to note that this playlist really fit her personality and her inner conflict. During her dance with the Atlantean, Raven began to flash through her head everything that had happened in the past few months, from her time in the prison cell, to her escape, to the destruction of her father, to her little thing with Jinx to watching Red-X die, to killing the former Robin, to moving in with Slade, to escorting the three kids, to stopping the URB.

Raven noted that her life always had been one of the tragic ones, an unlucky life, but she always managed to pull through. Today was a day where she just felt happy to be alive. Time seemed to just slip by for Raven as she calmly fell into Aqualad's embrace.

* * *

A few hours into the party, Raven found herself needing some space so she walked onto the roof of the tower with a plate of Cyborg's waffles covered in powdered sugar and strawberry preserves.

She sat down over the edge, letting her legs calmly hang off the edge of the roof as she dug into the food she liked "more than life itself". She brought a fork and knife and slowly ate through the waffles.

However, she was soon greeted by a familiar face. "Hey, Raven. How's the party going?"

Raven responded, "Good, Beast Boy. I needed to get some air. That many people in one area doesn't do me much good."

Beast Boy responded, "Figured that. So, how are the waffles?"

"Excellent. I haven't had such a good waffle in months. Wintergreen made a decent one but it was nothing compared to Cy's. But that's not why you came out here, is it?"

"No. I heard what happened in the Keyola Building. Slade is finally dead. I know it must have been excruciating for you, especially given how much of a father he's been in the past few months."

"You're right. One minute he's the person you want to kill most on Earth. The next, he's the one you cannot let go of."

Beast Boy sat down next to Raven, who was continuing to eat her waffles.

"What are you going to do now, Raven? With Slade dead and all?"

"I don't know. I spent three months trying to figure it out and I still don't have a damn answer."

"I was talking with Cy and the other Titans. They want you to return, Raven."

"That would be difficult, Beast Boy. You know what happened that caused this to happen in the first place."

"We know. We know Robin fucked things up big time. He betrayed our trust and the goodness in him."

"I fear that what happened to Robin will happen to you if I come back."

"Come on, Raven. It's not like you have any other pressing, world-changing secrets."

Raven remained silent for a moment, looking at Beast Boy awkwardly. "Or maybe you do", the changeling continued.

Raven said, "I spent over three years with you guys and you still barely know me. There are things about me you will never know. Things you don't want to know. Just trust me."

"Okay, then Raven. I won't press if you don't want to talk about them. But I think you should return to the Titans. If anybody is an example of how good triumphs evil, it's you. I mean, you were born as the daughter of the ultimate evil, born to do unspeakable things, but you went for more. You became a good person, you triumphed over your father."

"What about Terra? Has she decided?"

"She wants to return, but we need you to check to see if she's under someone's influence."

"I'll check. I don't want her betraying you again. What happened then will never happen again."

* * *

After the party, most of the Titans went home after helping to clean up the mess, which was fairly minimal considering the amount of people. Raven went up to Terra, who was beginning to fall asleep on the couch. Raven asked the geomancer, "Crashing on the couch, huh? Reminds me of the first time you stayed here."

Terra responded, "Planning on kicking me out, huh? Taking my place? Great, I'm even more fucking rejected."

Raven replied, "No. I know you want to stay and I just need to see if you can be trusted. After what happened the first time, I can't let anybody run amok in the Tower. I will not let the team meet its near annhilation again, from anybody."

"Okay. Do your thing, Raven."

With that, Raven put her hands on Terra's shoulders, sending her soul-self into Terra to investigate her memories. In Terra's mind, Raven saw that Terra regretted the things she did while under Slade's control: spying on the Titans, enabling Slade's robots access to the Tower, attacking the Titans and nearly killing them, threatening to tear the Titans apart. She saw Terra was nothing more than a troubled teenager who wanted to fit in, and she went to Slade in an attempt to figure out how. In the end, Raven saw Terra was not too much different from herself, even though they were two different people.

Terra asked, "So, Raven? What do you have to say? Did you like what was there?"

Raven replied, "Like no, but I'm positive I can trust you. The Titans can trust you, I guarantee it. And Terra, never regret the things you are forced to do, even if you have no choice."

"Slade?"

"Yes. And I know which things you had no choice in."

With that remark, Raven flew out of the room, letting Terra calmly drift to sleep.

* * *

The next day, all of the Titans assembled on a global network to hear Cyborg's announcement on the future of the Titans. After all of the expansions, Cy figured that it was time for the Titans to expand from two teams. There were currently six teams that were going to be deployed, and today was the day that they were going to be announced.

Before the conference could begin, Cyborg requested that Raven come to see the announcement live from Titans Tower. Raven, however, was not expecting what was going to happen then.

Raven inquired, "So why am I here, exactly?"

Cyborg said, "Here comes the lady of the hour, Raven. We're about to announce the new Titans teams and I actually have an offer for you."

"Fire away."

"Raven, we would be honored if you would become the new leader of the Teen Titans."

"Oh my Azar. I don't know what to say. What about you, Cyborg?"

"I'll be moving to one of the new teams. Managing a whole network of Titans is just too much of a handful. No offense to any of you."

Over the network, Bumblebee responded, "None taken, sparky."

Raven asked, "But why me?"

Cyborg replied, "You are one of the smartest, most powerful, and most deserving people I know. You fought evil from the day you were born, and you know the true meaning of good and evil. And how you managed to coordinate us during the URB crisis cemented that thought."

"I honestly can't put this elation into words. You gave me an option I never thought possible. What do I say?"

Starfire added, "Say yes, friend Raven."

Raven responded, "Then yes it is."

Cyborg said, "It's official. Raven is the new leader of the Teen Titans. Now we have to make the new teams. The first team will be the Titans North, which will be stationed in Toronto, Canada. It will consist of Kole, Gnarrk, Red Star, See-More, and be led by Starfire."

Starfire said, "My X'hal! I will be a glorious commander of the North Titans. It should be just like leading Tamaran", as she flew around the living room in glee.

Terra inquired, "Isn't See-More part of the HIVE?"

Aqualad answered, "He defected a week ago. However, I wouldn't expect that this defection string will continue. I'd bet that the HIVE are going to up their game to keep their members from dropping out and punish the defectors."

After rolling his eye briefly at Starfire's unbridled joy, Cyborg continued, "The next team will be the Titans South, which will be stationed in Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic. This team will consist of Pantha, Wildebeest, Mas y Menos, and I will personally lead that team."

Mas y Menos said (in Spanish), "Excellent day. We will be ready to kick some butt back at home."

Cyborg then said, "The next team will be the new Titans East team, which will move over to Bern, Switzerland. This team will consist of Speedy, Terra, Wonder Girl, Herald, and be led by Beast Boy."

Beast Boy said, "Sweet. Now I can finally test out my leadership skills."

Terra then added, "And we'll be together", smooching him on the cheek.

"The Titans West team will be stationed in Sydney, Australia and will consist of Bushido, Thunder, Lightning, Kilowatt, and will be led by Argent", Cyborg then stated.

Argent said, "I can't wait to tell me parents about my promotion. That will show them they were wrong to send me to prep school."

"The next team being formed will be the Titans Tango team, which will be located in Dakar, Senegal. This team will comprise of Hot Spot, Aqualad, Tramm, Gizmo, and be led by Bumblebee."

Jinx asked, "Holy shit, Stone. Did you say Gizmo?"

Cyborg replied, "Yes. Once Gizmo recovers from his injuries, he has decided to join the Titans. Figured it was the least he could do since we saved his life."

Aqualad said, "Hey Bumblebee. We're working together again."

Bumblebee slapped him in the face and deadpanned, "Don't remind me."

Cyborg finished with, "And this will be the last of the teams. This will be the Titans Central team, and it will be set right here in Jump. This will consist of Kid Flash, Jinx, and be led by Raven. This will also be the team where new recruits will be tested, so Raven can see if they would be a good fit."

Raven said, "Jinx, Kid, it looks like we'll be working together for a while now."

Jinx replied, "No shit, Rae."

Cyborg concluded the meeting with, "Meeting adjourned. Everybody is expected to be at their new assignment in forty eight hours. Dismissed."

With that, the feed was cut, leaving the Titans to prepare for their transfer and new positions all over the globe. Beast Boy quickly went to his room and packed up everything inside, wanting to quickly get ready for his stint as leader of the Titans East. Starfire went through her room and packed things quickly as well, wanting to get ready her stint as leader of the Titans North.

Argent and Bushido, on the other hand were much more conservative, doing it slower and not trying to pack everything in their rooms into one bag. They would soon be on their way to Sydney, and Bushido would have to be used to taking Argent's orders.

While the Titans were packing, Raven made a phone call through the main ops room before transferring it to the video feed. Answering the phone was the Martian Manhunter.

He said, "Raven. Can you give us a status update on what had happened down on Earth?"

Raven replied, "I can assure you that Slade will no longer be an issue for you."

The Manhunter asked, "Why not?"

"He's dead."

"How?"

"I was forced to kill him in defense. He was trying to reset time back to when the Titans were first formed, but I couldn't let him do that."

"And I take it you stopped him."

"Yes. Slade may not have had the best intentions or actions, but I think when it boils down to it, Slade was a good man in the deepest reaches of his heart. He deserves a proper funeral."

"That can be arranged. What is going on over with the Titans?"

"New teams have been formed and I have been appointed the new head of the Teen Titans. I've never had this much responsibility before. I wasn't even expecting it."

"But they found that you were able to overcome the evil in your soul, whereas Robin was unable to and his soul was barely evil while yours was almost purely evil."

"Were you listening in on our conversations?"

"Batman showed me the tapes. They were shown in the strictest confidence. I have high hopes for the future of the Titans. And much like Batman has instructed us, the League will remain out of your jurisdiction unless you request our assistance."

"Which will only be when in dire situations. We've handled ourselves for a few years now. I don't think the League needs to involve itself anytime soon."

"Peace be with you Raven. Good luck."

The Martian Manhunter disconnected the line, leaving Raven alone in the main ops room.

* * *

The next day came a fairly momentous one for the Titans - the funeral of Slade, who was also known as Slade Wilson and Deathstroke by associates and enemies, but not both at the same time, except in the rarest of cases.

Slade was a soldier, which would have merited a burial in Arlington. However, because of his dishonorable discharge and later criminal activities, he could have faced incineration. Raven was able to ultimately suggest that Slade be buried in the same plot alongside his family.

This was done. The newsperson attending the scene - Jonas Fink broadcasted, "We have been informed today that the CEO of Wilson Technologies - Slade Wilson is being buried today after dying of a fatal stroke two days ago. He was part of a proud military tradition, so his entry into the army at age sixteen was unsurprising, ultimately retiring after twenty-six years in the service as a lieutenant colonel. He continued to run the company until it went bankrupt six years ago in the financial crisis before he seemingly vanished off the face of the Earth. Delivering eulogies for the day will be William Randolph Wintergreen, who worked for Slade for over a decade, and the Teen Titan Raven."

Wintergreen began his eulogy for Slade, saying about his former employer, "Mister Wilson was a man who ultimately had the interests of others in his heart, not just his own. He was devestated upon the loss of his family who are buried here today. If he could have gone back into the past and changed everything, I can tell you that he very well would have. Even so, he was ultimately proud of the man he became, and he would wish that his death did not go down in vain. He would have wanted people to make the most out of everything and not spend their lives alone, which constituted his later years. Thank you."

Wintergreen stepped down from the podium and sat down next to Raven. She quietly asked him, "Interests of others in his heart, didn't that seem a little fabricated?"

Wintergreen whispered into her ear, "We can't reveal the whole truth about him, can we?"

Then, it was Raven's turn to deliver her eulogy. She knew that public speaking was not her forte - in fact, she always hated doing press coverage and as a result became the Titan the news was often in the dark about. Tabloids jumped at the opportunity to make things up about her and as a result, tabloid owners frequently had to deal with invisible wedgies (at Raven's hands) and intimidation (from Raven's supporters).

Raven stepped up onto the podium and began to speak. "Ahem. Many of you doubt that I knew Slade, you would be wrong. From the moment I first met him, Slade was a mysterious man to say the least. He never seemed to reveal what he was doing but often made you figure it out for yourselves. He took an active interest in youngsters, for better and for worse. When the crisis involving my father came along, Slade was ultimately the one that guided me through it and helped me claim my life. I later helped him along as he was grieving for his children's murders. He invited me to live with him after the Claw and Zatanna crisis was finished, and in that time, Slade wound up becoming more of a father to me than anybody had. His passing was truly tragic, and if he could leave some words of parting, he would say to not regret the things you had no choice about, to not isolate yourself, and that the future is never set in stone. Thank you."

With that final line, Raven sat down in her seat as the casket containing Slade was taken up from the stands and brought to the plot for burial. Slade's casket was slowly lowered in before it was reburied beneath the layers of soil. It was official at this point - Slade was dead and gone forever. It had seemed that he was never going to be dead. Even when he died the first time, her father came around to bring him back and his healing ability helped him keep going against the Titans. His enemies were certainly happy that Deathstroke was no more, but his few friends were going to miss Slade's energy, his brain, his strength.

Raven noted how similar the two of them were as the burial finished up. After the funeral, Slade's will was read. Seeing how most (actually, all) of his family was dead, Wintergreen was left with the majority of Slade's estate. The other recipients in Slade's will were Raven and the Titans. Slade left the Titans the Warren Labs he acquired years earlier and with that, all of its technology which the Titans could certainly use to upgrade their skills. Raven was left with a high-tech pendant.

* * *

It's been five days since Slade's funeral and four days since the Titan assignments were set. Raven was currently alone in Titans Tower with Kid Flash and Jinx. The other Titans had left the city to their new teams while Gizmo was officially discharged from the hospital and sent to the Titans Tango team in Senegal.

Raven had healed Gizmo enough so he could begin helping Tango from the tower in the city, but he was still not yet cleared for active duty. Gizmo didn't mind however, as it gave him a chance to test out some new techniques he was working on, and he was never very strong in the field. The Titans Tango were benefiting from Gizmo's help, something Bumblebee was certain would prove useful in the future.

Cyborg was handling the Titans South very well as leader. After managing Pantha and Wildebeest to make them one effective unit (and also a couple), they were well handling cases down in Latin America.

For Beast Boy, he was definitely nervous about starting as the leader of Titans East as he had always been a follower. However, Raven had gotten him a copy of Advanced Leadership Strategies, which enabled him to figure out some rough basics of leadership and manage Terra, Speedy, Wonder Girl, and Herald. Their first mission to take down Mad Mod in London ultimately wound up a complete success with the fashionista hypnotist finally being put in a secure prison that nobody had escaped from - which only applied to criminals in England.

For Starfire, leadership was supposed to be an acquired trait, but it was a bit lacking since she only held the Tamaranean throne for minutes before abdicating to Galfore. However, she got support from Red Star and See-More, who proved useful in teaching Starfire in how to give orders and they ultimately took down Killer Frost.

For Argent, her leadership was first "a bloody mess" as she accurately described it. However, Bushido remained by her side to help keep Thunder and Lightning from causing massive destruction and keeping them in line. Argent was beginning to gain more confidence in her leadership abilities and things were hopefully going to turn up well in the end.

Raven however hasn't gotten much of a chance to test her leadership abilities since criminals in the city were laying incredibly low after learning of her return and her new power. Any laughs about her reputation were completely suppressed in fear of her, but Raven chose not to go for a dictator-style enforcement of the law, not wanting her hero side crossing with her demon side (which controlled Trigon's entire realm in the Infernal Provinces).

Raven was feeling kind of bored and alone, as Kid Flash and Jinx were frequently dating now, and were officially a thing, something Raven had suspected would happen once she learned of their first date. Precognition was not one of her stronger attributes, but she could read little things and tell what would happen.

One night, Raven was in her room, looking at the pendant Slade left her in his will. Suddenly, it began to beep. An interested Raven proceeded to press on the pendant and it opened up, revealing a sheet of paper with a set of coordinates. It read_ "27.3 degrees North, 42.8 degrees East."_

Raven teleported to those coordinates, which put her in north-central Saudi Arabia in the middle of the desert. The pendant suddenly flew into a sand dune and Raven quickly followed it.

The sand dune quickly fell apart and vanished, revealing a chest inside, one that hasn't been there for more than a few weeks. Raven flew up to the chest and opened it, revealing a black diamond.

Raven said to herself, "The Diamond of Detriba. A gem that could give great truths to those who were worthy." Raven also noted there was a note in the chest and she put down the diamond to read it, which said:

_"Raven,_

_I know this would serve you much more than it would serve me. I found it in Zandia and held on to it ever since, looking for someone who would be worthy of it. And you are._

_Slade."_

Raven took the Diamond of Detriba out of the chest and looked into it. In mere seconds, the diamond lost its color as its information quickly flew into Raven, causing her to briefly faint.

After a few seconds, Raven woke up and realized that the Diamond had now given her a lot more magical knowledge than she ever expected. It also enhanced her powers significantly. Suddenly manifesting in front of her were Jericho, Red-X, and Ravager, which was something she did not expect.

Jericho said with his words, "Hello, Raven."

Raven stuttered, "Jericho? Rose? Grant? How?" Raven realized what happened - she had used the diamond's knowledge to resurrect Slade's children. A last gift from Slade - to ensure the survival of his children, even if the URB failed.

Raven thought, _Slade you clever bastard. This was not the end, this was only the beginning._


End file.
